


Four Lives & One Story

by BatwingLawyer



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-03-09 02:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 242,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13471425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatwingLawyer/pseuds/BatwingLawyer
Summary: AU. Emma Swan and her sister Spencer live their life mostly on the road, always moving from one town to the next while trying to outrun their past. Regina Mills and her niece Ashley are always at odds, always fighting and Regina is reaching her breaking point with the troubled teen. When the two blondes move to Storybrooke and meet the two brunettes all four of their stories will become completely intertwined.





	1. Blondes and Brunettes

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I'm not the only girl out there old enough to still remember Spashley. If you're too young to know this ship I highly suggest binge watching a show called South of Nowhere, though you definitely don't at all have to watch it or know about it to understand this story. I always wanted to include Spashley with these two because I just really think it fits. Hope everyone enjoys -JJ

Emma Swan glanced over at her dozing passenger and a slight smile quirked at her lips at the serene expression on the teenagers face. She hadn’t passed another car in at least fifteen miles and the drive, though almost over, had become severely monotonous. She had paused her passenger’s iPod when she’d dozed off and flipped the radio back on the weather quietly. She’d driven through brief rain storms twice since the state border and figured she’d have to adapt more to listening to weather stations now that they lived in Maine.

The sun was just cresting over the eastern horizon and Emma watched for another mile as the sky turned from dim grey into light blue and then eventually a veritable colour palate. Emma Swan had now seen a sunrise from 48 of the 50 states; she’d have to return west and get Hawaii and Alaska to have a full set. 

Her eye was drawn to the sign in the distance and Emma watched it get closer and closer. It was mostly white and blue and definitely old-fashioned with two wooden posts at either end. There had been a time, many years ago, that she and her companion would have gotten out to take a picture of the sign to mark another in their timeline of locations. They’d stopped several years later when the tradition had become depressing. 

_“Welcome to Storybrooke”_. 

“Welcome indeed.” Emma muttered. She reached over with a gentle hand and shook her partner’s thigh lightly. “Spence, wake up. Spencer, we’re here.” 

Spencer woke, blinked, and moved to almost full alertness with the ease of someone used to catnapping in cars. “This looks the same as when I fell asleep.” She remarked lightly, gazing out the window. To the left it was flat farmland with forest in the far distance. To the right, it was dense forest. 

“That’s because most of Maine looks like this. What do you think I’ve been driving in for hours?”

Spencer smirked. “Are you sure this isn’t like the time we passed a town and I fell asleep and woke up to you driving through the same exact town again?”

“One time.” Emma took her one hand off the wheel to extend her pointer finger right in Spencer’s face. “One time that happened.”

“It still happened.” Spencer sang softly under her breath. Her hands were now idling playing with a Zippo lighter. She didn’t light it, but the rhythmic scrape and snap of the lid soothed her and kept her hands busy. 

“You don’t have to go to school today, you know.” Emma remarked as she drove further into town. She’d passed by one driveway, belonging to someone who clearly lived out in the middle of the woods, but she’d seen no signs of life yet.

Spencer shrugged; the Zippo snapped shut. “We’ll make it in time.”

“Plenty. But you still don’t have to go, we’ve been in the car all night.”

“It’s whatever.” Spencer pulled down the visor to check the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’ll manage.”

“If you say so. We’ll find somewhere to get coffee first.”

Spencer grinned. “Well, duh.”

They drove in comfortable silence for another mile and though they’d seen another few driveways and finally passed an intersection they’d still seen no signs of life. “So,” Emma finally broke the silence, “what do you want the story to be this time?” When Spencer said nothing Emma glanced over again. “You pick.”

“I don’t care.”

Emma tried not to frown. “I’ll make it something awful.” Emma warned in a teasing voice. “Come on, what do you want? Do you want to be the kid with a young, super cool super hot single mom? Or big sister who has custody because of dead parents? Maybe a foster or adopted situation?”

“Big sister with no parents, I guess.” Spencer finally conceded. 

“Got it. How did our parents die? Standard car accident? Maybe they got murdered so once the gossip is done in a week no one will ever bring it up again?”

The Zippo lighter snapped shut with an audible click. “How about they died in a fire?”

Emma looked over sharply and arched an eyebrow but kept her voice light. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”

Spencer finally smiled and Emma breathed a little easier. “And we weren’t home cause you had snuck me out for late night ice cream.”

“Well, you know how I get about those Moose Tracks hankerings.”

Spencer chuckled and shook her head and gazed out the window some more. “Seriously, how far out into the sticks did we move?”

“Pretty far.” Emma shrugged. “I got a good deal on the place. And the headquarters for my new job is in Augusta but I’ll only rarely have to make an in person appearance there. My new boss assumed I’d be living in Portland and I let him think that.”

The younger blonde nodded. “Got it. We sure there’s even a high school in this town? I’m scared if I blink I’m gonna miss it.”

“Yes there is, you’re already registered.”

Spencer sighed. “I’m sure the mid-semester transfer has already started the gossip chain.” It was said lightly, with a bit of a giggle, but Emma felt something in her chest clench. 

“I’m sorry about this, you know.”

Spencer looked over sharply in surprise at the serious tone. “It’s fine, Ems, I’m used to it.”

The elder blonde sighed. “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better.” She shifted uncomfortably and tried to bring some feeling to her legs after sitting in the car for too long.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, just, like, it doesn’t bother me anymore. Please, being talked about in high school as the new kid is nothing.” Her voice turned softer. “Really, Ems. It’s not a big deal. I’m grateful we move around so much and that I get to do it with you.”

Emma met blue eyes, which like her own had seen too much already, and smiled warmly before returning her gaze to the road. “Alright then.” She let the serious tone drop and smiled with a goofy expression. “Remind me of the patented and trademarked Swan Sisters guide to fitting in and ignoring the bullshit.”

Spencer laughed out loud. “Step One: Accept the mystery. I’m always going to be seem mysterious so I should just embrace and adopt it and work it for me.”

“Excellent. Step Two?”

“Rise above it. Teenagers are going to gossip no matter what. Act like there’s nothing to find and there’s nothing to find. Let the rest of it go.”

“Good. And finally?” Emma smirked and Spencer laughed.

“Sprain the wrist or break the fingers of the first person that physically lays a hand on me so that I won’t have to get violent for the rest of my time here.”

“You got it.” Emma laughed. “Good lord, I’m terrible.”

“You’re awesome.” The affection in Spencer’s voice was genuine and, as always, made the weight sitting on Emma’s shoulder’s feel lighter. “Oh look, life!” Spencer excitedly pointed out one person at the end of their long driveway gathering the newspaper; the middle aged man tracked their vehicle the whole way by. “Something tells me Old Yeller is gonna stand out. They probably haven’t seen a car like this since the dawn of the automobile.”

“Hey now.” Emma drew the words out in offence. “First of all, this car is a classic and you will treat Old Yeller with the respect she deserves. Secondly, this car is only a ’72.”

“Ancient.” Spencer sing-songed. 

“Hey.” Emma pointed in her sister’s face again. “This car has been very good to us.”

“Of course she has.” Spencer rubbed a chip on the dashboard right in front of her. “Lost my first tooth in this car. Granted…that could have been your driving skills.”

“Okay, why don’t you just go back to sleep huh?” Emma mussed up Spencer’s hair and the teenager shrieked and slapped back at her. Emma laughed while shouting. “No assaulting the driver!”

“Emma stop! Emma! Hey, wait.” At the change in tone Emma halted her attack. “I think we’re actually _here_ here now.” The road they had been driving down for an hour, Franklin Street, turned seamlessly into Main Street and now they were driving into the heart of downtown Storybrooke. 

It was quaint and picturesque; it looked like it belonged on a postcard. Spencer, who had admittedly never lived anywhere like this before checked it all out curiously. Most of the downtown buildings looked original and each appeared like they had apartments above the stores. There were a few people out and about already and each one eyed their car with surprise.

A particular sign caught Spencer’s eye and she backhanded her sister in the shoulder. “Granny’s Diner. Pull over.”

Emma was already maneuvering the small Volkswagen into a parallel parking spot. “Good. If I didn’t get coffee soon I wasn’t liable for my actions.” Spencer was re-fixing her hair in the mirror and making sure there wasn’t any sleep in her eyes. “Ready, kiddo?” 

The familiar nickname made Spencer automatically roll her eyes so her sister didn’t see how happy the name made her. “Ready.”

There was a few steps up to the door and Emma held it open for Spencer. When she walked in behind her sister, who had only made it a step or two, she felt like she was in Western movie. The way every person in the diner, including the waitress pouring coffee, had stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at them made her feel like she’d entered a saloon in a lawless town. _Maybe a tiny town wasn’t such a good idea._

She wondered what the townspeople were seeing when they looked at them. Emma was wearing skin tight blue jeans, an undone white and black button up and a black muscle shirt under her well-worn red leather jacket. Her wavy, blonde hair was down and fell passed her shoulders. Only the hard look in bright green eyes gave away her displeasure at being stared at. 

Spencer was only an inch shorter than her older sister even if she was 13 years younger. Her clothing was just as simple; she wore blue jeans and a white, long sleeved shirt with an army green jacket over it. Her jacket only reached her ribcage so it was the back pockets of her jeans she nervously jammed her hands into. Her blonde hair was the same length as her sisters but hers was dead straight and missing the curls. Her blue eyes were wary and cautious and she inched backwards towards Emma. 

Emma reached out and subtly placed a hand on the middle of Spencer’s back as she caught the waitress’s eye. “You got a table?” Emma asked carefully. It was obvious there were many; only two of the booths were taken and most of the people were sitting up at the counter. 

The waitress, a beautiful brunette about Emma’s age, finally snapped out of her stupor. “Of course, seat yourselves wherever you want. I’ll be over in one sec.”

“Thanks.” Emma lowered her voice. “C’mon, kiddo.” Emma led the way over to a booth in the far corner. She glared slightly at the few people that watched them walk by. 

“Sorry about that.” The waitress appeared while they were still taking off their jackets. She smiled wide, showing perfect white teeth, and flicked her long straight hair over her shoulder. Emma couldn’t help but trail her eyes down her outfit, taking in the long, smooth legs on display in her tiny jean shorts. Her outfit wasn’t _too_ revealing but Emma was a little surprised to see it in such a tiny place at 7am. “It’s a small town. I don’t honestly remember the last time we had strangers roll in. It’s big news. Coffee?” She held out the pot she was holding and both blondes nodded vigorously. They took large gulps the second their mugs were full. The waitress chuckled. “Black and scalding, noted for next time. I’m Ruby, by the way.”

“Emma. This is my sister Spencer.”

“Nice to meet you guys. Just passing through?” She queried as she pulled out a notebook and a pen. 

Emma tried to decide if she was being friendly or nosy. Unwilling to make an enemy their first minute in town, and with the lady who controlled the coffee, Emma smiled politely. “Actually, no. We’re moving to town.”

“Oh you’re the ones moving in the Monroe house?” Ruby said instantly; Emma’s eyes narrowed and Ruby gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I told you, small town. Everybody knows everything and nothing goes unnoticed. People have been talking about it since the Sold sign went up two weeks ago.”

“Noted.” Emma smirked. “Thanks for the heads up.”

Ruby seemed to sense that the skittish blonde was finished discussing and opened her notebook to take their order. When they were alone again Emma and Spencer took the time to sip their coffee quietly. Both were aware of the stares and they sat mostly still until the conversations around the diner started up again. Ruby appeared with the coffee pot and poured them both refills. “I like the streak in your hair.” Spencer smiled brightly when she caught the bright red streak near Ruby’s temple. 

“Thanks. Reds my colour.” She did a little pose and both blondes chuckled. “Your parents let you dye your hair?”

Spencer’s smile faltered enough for the waitress to notice. Emma cleared her throat. “Our parents died a long time ago, I have custody.” She caught Spencer’s eye and continued on like she hadn’t just said that. “If you want to dye it you can. If you’re going to do a bright colour though, I’d prefer not your whole head.”

“So I could get blue highlights?” Spencer beamed and Emma shrugged. 

“If you want to live with blue hair, who am I to say no, Smurfette.”

Ruby chuckled and shot Spencer a smirk. “I kinda wish I’d had a big sister like that when I was your age. Breakfast’ll be right out guys.” True to her word it was only a minute later she had brought Spencer her pancakes and Emma her hungry-man special. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“Yeah, is the high school difficult to find out here?”

“Not at all. Almost everything branches off of Main Street. Few streets up hang a left on Wilson Ave. You’ll find the high school right behind the elementary school. Same parking lot.”

“Thanks.” 

“So. Any bets?” Spencer asked a minute later while pouring real maple syrup on her breakfast. Emma arched an eyebrow. “You know, about how this is going to go. Is this going to be a Sacramento situation? A ridiculous Reno? Or maybe a Salt Lake City SNAFU?” She playfully wagged her eyebrows. “A-”

“Don’t say Denver.”

“Denver.”

“It won’t be a Denver disaster.” Emma scowled. She reached over and stole a bite from Spencer’s plate. “It’s a very small town, could be a loser Lawton.”

Spencer nodded. “Or a shitty Sioux Falls.”

Emma scowled again. “Better not be. I didn’t appreciate cleaning egg off Old Yeller.”

Spencer raised her pointer finger impersonating her older sister. “One time. One time that happened.”

“Well make sure it doesn’t happen again.” 

The younger blonde chuckled. “Yes, Emma.” She washed down her breakfast with more coffee. “What are you going to do today? The house or right to work?”

Emma shrugged. “I’ll check in with work but when I spoke to them a few days ago they didn’t have a jumper in dire need of my skills. I’ll probably work on the house. We’ll have to go clothes shopping soon too.”

“Oh, can we go to Portland for it?”

Emma eyed her younger sister. “Sure. But maybe if you fall in with a crowd right away they’ll want to take you shopping. Road trip into Portland together.”

Spencer shrugged noncommittally. “I suppose.” 

The elder blonde watched her sister for a minute before sighing. “Alright, finish up. I have to get you to the school.”

“I’m going to hit the bathroom.”

“Fine, I’ll get you a coffee to go.” Emma walked up the counter and Ruby met her at the register. “Two coffees to go too, please.”

“You got it.” Ruby checked her out briefly and Emma caught the look. “That’s uh, a lot of ink.”

Emma had hardly realized that she had pushed her sleeves up at some point exposing the lower portions of her full sleeve tattoos. Only half an inch up from her wrist all the way up her forearm and disappearing under the bunched up sleeves around her elbows was completely tattooed. There were dozens and dozens of different images and hundreds of different colours and shades, but they all blended together seamlessly into one tattoo that left none of her natural skin tone on her arms.

Ruby’s gaze was caught by different pieces of the ink. At first it was leather bound book on the inside of her left forearm; it was opened to pages that had what looked to be the same phrase written over and over again in a dozen different languages. Then her gaze moved over and was caught by her Pride flag. It was about three inches wide, wrapped all the way around her arm and started the ink on her right wrist; it was done as if Emma’s skin had been ripped away and the Pride flag is what was showing underneath. The detail was simply incredible, Ruby knew she was looking at a tattoo but the edges of it genuinely looked as if it was ripped skin. Emma shifted slightly under the gaze and Ruby noticed her other wrist. On the spot where a person would actually wear a watch Emma had one tattooed. The band was made up of stainless steel links and they were done as if each link had been pierced through the skin. The watch face, of which the glass was broken, had the numbers in roman numerals. There were also six tiny pictures situated around the rim; a dove, a wizard’s hat, handcuffs, a book, a fountain pen and a yellow flower.

Emma cleared her throat and Ruby snapped her gaze up realizing she had been staring way too long. “Sorry.” Her grin was sheepish and she shrugged her shoulders. “No tattoo parlour in town.”

Emma smirked. “That’s okay, I’ve run out of skin anyway.”

That made the brunette laugh and she handed over Emma’s change. “I’m sorry about the looks you’re going to get. New city people in a small town and all that.”

She sighed and accepted her change. “Don’t worry.” She caught Spencer’s eyes leaving the bathroom. “I’ve survived worse.”

**

Regina Mills was furiously trying not to be late but her morning had indeed turned against her. Her alarm went off and Regina had felt like she had just placed her head down on the pillow. She spent extra time on her makeup covering the bags under her eyes and finally felt confident in herself, her look and her outfit when one of the heels on her black, Louboutin Iriza shoes had snapped. 

Regina had stumbled, almost fallen and twisted her ankle. She growled under her breath and hobbled to her closet to change into a smaller heel. By the time she made it down into the kitchen she noticed it was completely silent and Regina looked to the heavens. Of all the days for Henry to sleep through his alarm. Now at 11 he was getting to the age where he insisted he didn’t need her help getting up anymore but it occasionally led to mornings like this. 

She was forced to traipse back upstairs and wake Henry who was pulling a bit of a sleepy, and grumpy, temper tantrum this morning. Normally Regina fixed these mornings with the promise of waffles or pancakes but, already running late, Regina didn’t have time. She set Henry up with some cereal in the kitchen and left him pouting after her. 

“Ashley.” Regina called up the staircase when she didn’t hear the distinctive sound of the shower running. “Ashley!” She waited for a moment and then with a groan, hiked up the curving grand staircase again. Her ankle was already bothering her and she briefly considered changing into flats otherwise she might not make the work day. She headed to the furthest away bedroom from hers and Henry’s. “Ashley!” _Please, not today._

It was nowhere near the first time Regina had made this trek to her niece’s bedroom. Each time caused a different painful memory to surface and ratcheted up her anxiety. She remembered the time she barged into her room to get her off for school and found her with a half-naked boy in her bed. Regina had been stunned for one moment until the rage had set in. One arched eyebrow from Regina had Aiden Dennison scrambling for his shirt and sweater. She remembered the time a few month later she came into her room and found a completely naked girl asleep with her. Regina had been forced to actually yank off the comforter and yell Ashley’s name for Zoe Logan to clamber out of bed and flee for her life. She remembered finding Ashley passed out smelling of Jack Daniels. Remembered finding her bedroom empty and finally locating her passed out on her stomach in the bathroom in a puddle of puke.

Remembered coming in and finding no Ashley at all.

“Ashley?” Regina knocked politely, twice, and then banged once with a closed fist. When there was still no answer Regina cautiously entered the teenager’s bedroom. It was almost impossibly dark. Ashley had long taken to covering her blinds with an extra blanket to keep the light from getting in. Only a thin sliver illuminated the room for Regina’s eye. 

Her bedroom was a disaster and a constant source of fighting for the two of them. Clothes were strewn everywhere, empty plates and dishes were stacked on practically every flat surface and notebooks or loose sheets of papers were taking over the floor. 

Regina caught sight of a lump curled in a blanket on Ashley’s bed and one level of fear, of Ashley not even being here, abated slightly. The lump didn’t look big enough for two people so Regina hoped she wasn’t about to find another naked teen. “Ashley.” Her voice was sharp and commanding. 

The lump groaned and moved and another fear of Regina’s, that god forbid she would come in here one day and Ashley wouldn’t be alive, released the cold grip it had on her heart. Now that Regina wasn’t scared, she was angry. “Ashley. Get out of this bed and get ready, you’re going to be late for school.”

“Go away.”

“Ashley.” 

“I’m not going in.”

“Oh yes you are.” Regina pulled off the comforter and glared down at the teenager. Even rumpled in sleep, and growing angry, Ashley was beautiful. Her brunette, slightly auburn, curls tumbled down to her collarbones and looked stylishly sexy no matter what Ashley chose to do with them. Her lithe, toned figure was about the only thing Ashley worked for and her naturally tanned skin was flawless. Regina knew well how Ashley played those around her with her beauty and her devil-may-care attitude. 

It didn’t work on Regina. 

“Okay you have two choices. You either get yourself out of this bed and go to school in your own car, or I will force you into my vehicle as you look right now so you can see Dr. Whale and explain to him how sick you are.” Ashley blearily opened her eyes and met her aunt’s gaze. She seemed to debating if the woman really would manhandle her into the Benz. 

Regina arched an eyebrow.

“Fine. Jesus, fuck.” She threw her legs out of bed and went to stand but found Regina standing in her personal space. 

“Do not use language like that in my house. And do not even think about doing it in front of your brother.”

Ashley’s face dropped into a scowl and she stood up to glare right in Regina’s face. Both woman were naturally fairly short but in heels Regina had a few inches on the 5’2 Ashley. The growing anger on the teens face made up for it. “He is _not_ my brother. Because I am _not_ your daughter.” The words were spat.

Regina clenched her teeth but knew when to pick her battles. “Get ready for school.” She turned her back on her niece and headed back downstairs. 

Now her head ached as much as her ankle. 

“Henry, are you ready?” She called out in the large house. “Please tell me you’re ready.” Was muttered under her breath. She found him outside his bedroom wearing his dark purple corduroy pants and a bright orange and white Dragonball Z t-shirt. Regina’s eye twitched slightly at the clashing colours. “Henry…” She glanced at the clock on the wall, “never mind, okay let’s go.” She hustled him back into the kitchen to gather his lunch box, which thankfully she made the night before, and then told him to put on his shoes and jacket. “Ashley?” Regina called out into the house. She received no reply again but this time she wasn’t really expecting one. “Have a good day at school.” She meant it honestly but knew that Ashley would hear only the threat; Regina was good friends with the high school principal and they both knew Regina had no problems texting Kathryn to make sure the brunette had actually shown up for class. 

Regina forced herself not to speed down the road even though she was cutting it very close to getting Henry there on time. The high school started later than the elementary but Regina thought it would be impressive if Ashley made it on time as well. Either way, speeding wasn’t worth it; not only was there a risk of an accident but everyone knew her Mercedes Benz in town and it wouldn’t set a good example for her to be breaking the law. 

When the brunette turned down Wilson Ave. she cocked an eyebrow curious; she was following a car she was positive did not belong in her town. It was a bright yellow, old model Bug that looked like it had been driven across country and had seen better days. 

The Benz pulled into the elementary school’s Kiss N’ Ride and the Bug continued to a parking space in front of the high school. Henry was chattering in the backseat and Regina hummed in the appropriate pauses but her eye remained on the mystery car. 

_Could these be the people that moved in the Monroe house?_ Regina had been discouraged at the lack of information provided to her when the house had finally been sold. Jeanne Greyson, the town’s only realtor, had told Regina that the sale had gone through online and that whoever had bought it had never shown up in Storybrooke to see it personally. The situation made Regina a little nervous. _Who bought a house without ever having looked at it in person?_ Regina hoped to get answers quickly because she was particular about the people in her town; she didn’t want some city slickers destroying their town’s peaceful equilibrium. Regina finally pulled up to the front of the Kiss N’ Ride and a school worker opened the backdoor to escort Henry out of the car. He called his goodbyes over his shoulder and when he was safely away Regina pulled the Benz away from the curb. 

She remembered a time when Henry hated leaving her for school and would clutch onto her leg and cry. Now he enjoyed school more than anything; Regina tried, and sometimes failed, not to take it personally. 

She pulled the Benz slowly around the parking lot and her slow driving paid off when she got to watch the passenger seat of the Bug open and a teenage blonde girl holding a coffee from Granny’s stepped out. Regina eyed her critically but there was nothing to really watch for; other than the deathtrap of a car the teenager looked perfectly ordinary. She reached into the backseat and pulled out a grey and pink backpack before she waved goodbye to the driver. It was difficult to see, when creeping by in her own car, who exactly the driver was at a glance. All Regina could really make out is that it was a blonde woman.

Regina scanned her rear-view mirror and realized there was quite a few cars lined up behind her. They were too nervous to tailgate, or God forbid honk at her, so they were just starting a queue. Regina tried for another glance at the driver of the car but she was pretty much passed it now anyway. She finally pulled away and the line of cars behind her happily followed her out of the parking lot.

It was only a two minute drive until she was parking again at City Hall in her designated parking space. She didn’t exit the Benz when she turned off the car; instead she pulled out her phone and hit the second speed-dial.

“Graham. I’ve got a job for you. I want you to find out everything you can about Storybrooke’s newest citizens.”

**

Spencer Swan hitched her bag on her shoulders and walked into the school with a small smile in place; she knew from experience that walking with a scowl was a bad way to start but she didn’t have it in her to be perky either. 

She got stares from everybody as she walked by. She assumed in a town this small each of these kids had advanced in grade with their entire class with them; hell, the entire class of 20 had probably literally grown up together. Spencer couldn’t imagine knowing _anybody_ for that long besides her sister. When it came to friends Spencer was lucky if she actually acquired phone numbers for them. 

By the time she made it actually inside the school the whispers had started. She was used to that as well. Being the new kid was always hard enough; being the new, pretty, blonde girl was usually harder. Knowing all these guys had grown up with these girls since they were toddlers made her feel like the new toy for them to play with by the way they were staring at her now; a new toy or a piece of meat. 

The school was tiny compared to some of the ones Spencer had been enrolled in over the years. It was essentially a large rectangle with the gym in the middle. She had to make it to the offices to pick up her schedule so she just guessed a direction. With only one floor and one hallway in a loop she couldn’t exactly pick wrong; she’d make it to any destination eventually. By the time she found the offices she’d already heard talk about _how hot she was_ and _how nice her ass was_. She was glad the times when Emma had to walk her to principal’s office were long over because nothing tested Emma’s temper worse than people talking about Spencer. 

“You must be Spencer Swan.” The secretary smiled instantly when she walked up. Spencer was a little surprised that she seemed to know every student well enough to know that Spencer didn’t belong but the blonde figured she’d better get used to it. 

“I am.” Spencer smiled politely. “I’m just here to pick up my schedule.” The secretary began clicking away on her computer, which was still a desktop Spencer noted, when another woman stepped out from an inner office. 

“Miss Swan? Nice to meet you.” The woman, a taller blonde in a professional pantsuit, held out a hand to shake. “I’m Kathryn Knight, the Principal here.”

“Nice to meet you.” Spencer gave her polite smile again. The Principal seemed friendly enough but Spencer couldn’t judge yet whether it was merely an act for the new girl or not. 

“I hope you’ll settle in well here at Storybrooke High. Your transcripts were interesting when I looked them over.” Spencer internally stiffened but she didn’t allow the polite smile to drift from her face. Like Emma had taught her from a young age, she noted the open door behind her as the only exit from the offices. “You had classes and grade completions from, what was it, three different schools?”

Spencer shrugged slightly. _Adopt a mysterious air_. “We move a lot, obviously. There were no problems, I hope?”

“No, no problems.” Mrs. Knight smiled at her. “Your grades were all excellent and none of those schools had given any academic or probationary alert.” Spencer wanted to smile at Emma’s thoughtfulness. Of course she hadn’t sent over the transcripts from any of the schools where Spencer _did_ have probationary alerts, a few suspensions and one expulsion. “Well,” Mrs. Knight accepted Spencer’s schedule from the secretary and handed it over, “we’ll let you get settled in class. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to come to me.”

“Sure.” Spencer nodded and checked out her new schedule:

First Period: English  
Second Period: World Religions  
Lunch  
Third Period: Gym  
Fourth Period: Art

Spencer took careful note of the room numbers before remembering the school was a big rectangle with one hallway. “Thanks again.” Spencer nodded to the principal as she left but the woman had already turned her attention to the secretary. 

“If Ashley comes in to get a late slip, give one to her, but then let me know. I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do with her.”

**

The dark sunglasses on her face weren’t doing anything to stop the blinding headache pounding at her temples; the coffee in her hand wasn’t helping the rolling in her stomach either. Ashley had only just begun sleeping off her escapades from the night before when Regina had unceremoniously barged in. Just looking in the fridge while making her coffee had caused bile to rise in her throat and she had to brace herself on the counter and breathe deeply for a moment. She blamed Regina for the worsening headache she was fighting. Her aunt was always ready to fight with her about anything. The younger brunette suspected Regina took pleasure in yelling while she knew Ashley was hungover. 

_How did the party last night even get so wild?_ It was probably her doing now that Ashley thought about it. She had a gift for making people lower their inhibitions and when Ashley wanted to party she had no problem getting people to party with her. The thought of Aiden struggling through the day with her brought the first smirk of the day to her lips. 

She decided to skip going to the office and getting a late slip when she kicked the door to the school open. She knew Kathryn would be waiting for her appearance to text Regina she’d actually come. Ashley wasn’t going to make it easy on her; if that narc wanted to see her she could fucking well come find her herself. 

Ashley’s boots clicked down the hallway and she walked into her English classroom without pausing. She heard the distinct, but faint, cheering of her name from Madison and Ashley took a mock bow. 

“If you’re quite finished Ms. Davies, you’re already late. Take your seat and stop disrupting my class.”

“But I’m such a welcome distraction.” Ashley sassed. She fist-bumped Aiden on the way to her seat and flashed Madison, sitting beside him, a smirk. Ashley collapsed into her chair and didn’t even bother taking out her notebook or the novel the class was currently working through. She crossed her arms on her desk and promptly tried to go back to sleep. 

She tried breathing deeply, to calm the churning in her empty stomach, but her nausea wasn’t abating. She shifted her head and rested on the other cheek to try and get more comfortable. _How much did I drink last night?_ Madison had been in one of her playful moods so Ashley remembered tequila shots and dancing but things started to blur after that. If the throbbing she was starting to notice in her hip was any indication she had fallen at some point too. 

Her sunglasses were digging into the side of her nose and she took them off and rest them on the desk. 

_Holy hell, hello._ Ashley’s eyebrows jumped in surprise that the empty desk beside her was no longer empty. A blonde girl, a _beautiful_ blonde girl, now sat in the chair to her left. Ashley perked up to check her out. She could already tell, even though the girl was sitting, that her body was lithe and likely almost as thin and toned as Ashley’s own. Her skin was creamy and pale and Ashley had the sudden desire to lick every inch of it. Ashley leaned over without any care for the English class around her. “Hi there, beautiful.” 

The blonde girl arched an eyebrow in her direction. “Really? That’s your line?” She snickered and promptly turned her attention back to the page in front of her. 

Ashley smirked wider. _Oh, a challenge._ “Well it’s early, I can’t really be expected to give my best material away.” She hoped the girl would look over because she hadn’t caught a glimpse into her eyes yet. When the girl studiously ignored her Ashley leaned a little closer to her; her upper body was almost in the aisle now. “I’m Ashley, by the way.” She said this with her patented Ashley Davies charming smile. 

The girl didn’t even look. “I know, I caught that when you came in late looking like shit warmed over.”

Ashley’s jaw dropped. She was wearing black leather boots with artistically ripped, skin tight dark blue jeans. Her black, sleeveless blouse showed off her arms, adorned with multiple bangles and a silver bracelet, and quite a bit of her collarbones and cleavage. Considering her low-rise jeans and the fact her shirt stopped an inch above her bellybutton Ashley knew that quite a bit of her abs and hipbones were showing. Her curls were wild and mussed, just begging for fingers to thread into them, and her makeup was flawless. “Excuse me?” Her voice was offended and incredulous. _I look just as hot as I always do._

The blonde girl chuckled again. “Please. Like I can’t tell an all-night bender when I see one. Or smell one, for that matter. I was going to guess vodka, obviously, for any self-respecting rich girl.” The blonde finally turned and gave her a smirk of her own. “But now I think I’m going to guess whiskey.” When she turned back to the page she was writing on Ashley was still staring at her somewhat stupidly. _What the fuck?_

Ashley spent the remainder of the class staring at the blonde and the blonde spent it steadfastly ignoring her. Ashley picked up on the fact that she wasn’t writing notes because her hand didn’t follow the teachers lecture and she never actually picked up the copy of _Great Expectations_ sitting on her desk. 

When the bell rang Ashley was jarred from her stupor. Her hand lashed out and caught Aiden roughly by the sweater. “Who is that?” She didn’t attempt to keep her voice down and from the way the blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head she’d heard her. 

“New girl.”

Ashley glared at him after craning her neck up to look at the 5’9 jock. “I figured that out for myself, thanks. Who is she, Aiden?”

He blinked somewhat dumbly at her and shrugged his shoulders. Ashley wanted to slap him but Madison appeared and stroked his arm first. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Aiden.” She laughed. “Spencer Swan, new girl, just appeared in town today. She and her older sister are living in the Monroe house. No sign or word of parents yet.”

“How much older is the sister?”

“Adult.” Madison pulled out her phone to check her makeup in the camera. “That’s all I know. She looks kinda girl next door but from the way she went toe to toe with you _chica_ , I’m thinking maybe no.”

Ashley watched the blonde, _damn was I right about that figure_ , leave the classroom. She figured that was all there was to know about her so far because she could always depend on Madison for the gossip. Ashley looked her Latina friend over. “Bitch, why don’t you look hungover?”

Madison gave a fake smile. “Maybe cause I handle my liquor better than you, bitch.” She was now checking her nails over casually. “Or maybe because I don’t want my liver to fail before graduation. I switched over to beer with Aiden after the body shots.”

Ashley put her sunglasses back over her eyes so she could ignore the genuine worry she saw brewing in Madison’s eyes. “Whatever. We’re throwing a thing on Friday.” Ashley flashed the smile that had gotten into more beds and broken more hearts than she cared to remember. “And I’m getting Blondie to come.”

“Come, or _come_?” Madison teased. 

Ashley chuckled and finally started leaving the classroom with Madison and Aiden trailing after them. “Both, if I have my way.”

**

Emma looked around her new home with a critical eye. Emma was in that state where once you already had at least your fourth or fifth move under your belt, and spent some time living in your car, the excitement of a new home just isn’t there anymore. 

All of Spencer’s and Emma’s belongings had fit into the Bug and it was mostly clothes. Only two other boxes had been crammed into the backseat along with their suitcases in the trunk. 

Monroe Ave, which was only a few minutes away from the downtown, was a very short side street and theirs was the only house on it. It was a cute one story bungalow painted a generic light blue shade. Emma stripped off her jacket and her button up and it took her only three trips to bring their stuff in and she set it all in the living room. 

Emma ignored it for now and did a walk around her home checking the security. She checked every window for working latches and locks as well as checking each individual pane. Thankfully, they were the kind that could not be removed, so for someone to break in they’d have to smash the windows. There were only two doors leading into the house that needed to be checked; the front and the side door which opened into the kitchen. The front door already had a safety chain and Emma made a mental note to buy a matching one for the side door. 

She walked around the house again until she found what she was looking for; a small end table. Emma removed the lamp that had been sitting on it and placed it right beside the front door. An end table had sat in that location in every home Emma and Spencer had ever lived in together and it was an important part of their ritual. When she moved on she checked the plumbing and the wiring for the entire house. When everything seemed normal Emma finally began to unpack.

Spencer’s bag was placed in her bedroom and Emma dug out her sheets from one of their boxes and placed them on the bed. She never actually made up Spencer’s room because she knew it made her sister feel more comfortable to do it herself. Her own bed was made quickly, with near military precision, and her suitcase was tossed on the floor. 

The second cardboard box, which Emma opened carefully, was stuffed with crumpled newspapers. She reached in and carefully pulled out Spencer and Emma’s most prized possession. 

It was a vase. It was blue and purple, with a hint of red, in swirls of colour and though it was slightly misshapen it stood about a foot and a half high. It wasn’t the original vase, because it had been replaced twice, but Emma and Spencer had remade it each time. The misshaping was intentional to mimic the original piece they made together where it had been an accident. Emma placed the vase reverently on the end table right beside the door. 

Emma was just reaching into the box for the item at the bottom when there was a knock on her front door; she stood up with her Sig Saucer pistol in hand. Emma eyed the door suspiciously and then checked her gun. The Sig was a P220 Nitron handgun; it was smaller than a Glock to better fit her hand and a .45 caliber as opposed to the 9mm. Emma knew the gun was loaded and she checked the safety before tucking it into the back of her jeans. 

When she opened the door it nudged the end table and the prized vase teetered slightly and Emma steadied it with an automatic hand. She gave a polite smile with a somewhat confused look to the man standing on her doorstep. He was slightly professionally dressed with trousers, a dress shirt, tie and vest, but the look was skewed slightly by the beat up leather jacket and beard he wore. “Good morning ma’am.” Emma heard the Irish accent as she clocked the Sheriff badge on his belt. 

“Good morning Sheriff. Can’t say I expected a call from local law enforcement on my first morning here.”

He shrugged and gave a boyish grin. “Well, it’s a small town. Anything new is news.”

“Right.” Emma considered her options quickly. “Please, come in.” Emma gestured inside and let the Sheriff pass her; she kept her back resolutely away from the man as she walked a few steps inside. 

“I’m Sherriff Graham Humbert, by the way.” He extended a hand and Emma shook it. 

“Emma Swan. You’ll have to excuse the mess.” Emma walked carefully over to where she’d dropped her button-up plaid shirt and slipped it on to cover her gun. 

“First day?”

“Mhmm.” 

“You living here by yourself?”

“No. My younger sister lives with me.”

“She doesn’t live with your parents?”

“This a friendly visit or an interrogation, Sheriff?” Emma said it jokingly but her eyes were hard. 

Graham backed off instantly. “Sorry.” He raised his hands defensively. “Occupational hazard. What is it you do?”

Emma arched her eyebrow to let him know she’d caught him slipping in another question. She quickly had to decide whether to give him what he wanted or play it off; the skin of her lower back was cooled by the cold metal of her gun. “I’m a bounty hunter.” Emma finally admitted. “Finding people is kind of my gift. I was just hired by Amherst Bail Bonds Inc. in Augusta.”

His eyebrows now rose in surprise and his eyes trailed over the tattoos that Emma still had visible on her forearms. “Quite the commute.” 

“Nice of you to be worried about my drive, Sheriff.” 

He flashed her another smile and Emma assumed she was supposed to find him attractive and charming. “This really is a great town.” Graham obviously felt the need to fill in the silence. “Everyone is neighbourly and willing to help each other. It’s a very close knit community.”

“That’s wonderful.” Emma’s tone said she thought it was anything but. 

Graham seemed to sense he’d overstayed his welcome. “Well, I just wanted to welcome you to Storybrooke. And tell you that if you need anything, or need any help-”

“Apparently anyone in town is willing to assist.” Emma challenged.

Graham’s face fell slightly and he chuckled self-consciously. “Right. Well, you have a good day now.” He moved back to let himself out and Emma leaned against her open front door to watch him get back into his Sheriff squad car. _So that’s Storybrooke’s guard dog. And just who is holding your leash I wonder?_

**

Spencer was already somewhat tired and the day was only half over. She had clearly underestimated how much her presence would affect the school of such a small town. She had migrated through her morning with basically the same twenty people and they talked about her constantly. _And it’s like they think that I’m deaf._

Spencer had enjoyed Chelsea’s appearance the most. The taller girl, with beautiful mocha coloured skin and curly black hair she had up in a bun, had been quiet but polite. She seemed friendly enough and was the only person so far in Spencer’s day that hadn’t pried into her life or hit on her. They had spent lunch together, Spencer writing in her journal and Chelsea drawing in her sketchpad. Chelsea had only spoken when the cafeteria had been deafened by the cheering and laughter of one table and Spencer had looked around almost in alarm. 

The blonde was unsurprised to find the Ashley, the hungover brunette from first period, at the centre of it. 

“Ashley Davies.” Chelsea had remarked without looking up. “Storybrooke’s resident bad-girl player.”

Spencer snorted. “What, she make her way through the basketball team?”

“In her younger years. Now it’s the cheerleading squad.” Chelsea had chuckled. 

The blonde eyed the brunette who seemed to be holding court at a table full of jocks and beautiful people. “Typical.” _So she was actually hitting on me._

Chelsea shrugged. “For a long time I think people gave her a lot of breaks because her childhood wasn’t great. She actually lives with her aunt who is the,” Chelsea lowered her voice, “ _Evil Queen_.”

Spencer blinked. “What?”

The artist laughed. “She’s the mayor. And she’s very strict and a little scary. I think Ashley delights in messing up her aunt’s town.”

“Probably.” The bell had rung and Spencer was glad to find that Chelsea had the same afternoon as her as well. 

“You have a tattoo?” Spencer heard the surprised voice behind her in the change room as she pulled on her gym clothes; she carefully made sure her Zippo lighter stayed in the pocket of her jeans. She knew Chelsea was eyeing the swan she had tattooed on her back; the head of the swan was on the back of her neck and the rest of its body, wings slightly outstretched, fell between her shoulder blades. “That’s so cool. How did you get it? My parents would have murdered me.” She stretched out the sentence with a groan. 

“Well,” Spencer knew this would come out sooner or later, “I don’t live with my parents, I live with my older sister.” Spencer shot Chelsea a smirk as they headed for the gym. “And Emma is pretty much the best sister you could ever ask for.”

“Lucky. It’s a nice tattoo.”

“Nice tattoo on a nice body.” 

Spencer groaned and took note of the boy who had spoken. She should have figured gym would be co-ed because otherwise there’d only be about ten girls in the class. He was tall and athletic looking with slightly shaggy brown hair. His smile was objectively attractive but Spencer thought his ears were too big. She was sure he was sitting with the jocks and Ashley at lunch but the brunette was currently glaring at him.

“Shut your mouth, Peter.” Ashley growled. He held up his hands defensively but started laughing.

“My bad, my bad! I didn’t realize you had already claimed the new girl for yourself, Ash.” Spencer arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Peter saw that as an opening and slid closer. “Unless you don’t swing Ash’s way?” He gave her a charming smile and Spencer looked down at the hand currently touching her arm.

“I suggest you move your hand.” Spencer’s voice was low. Ashley, even though she was almost a foot shorter than Peter, took a threatening step forward.

“You heard her.”

“Ash, you can’t get all the hot girls, it’s n-”

He never got to finish his sentence before Spencer struck. _Sprain the wrist or break the fingers of the first person that touches you._ Spencer twisted his hand around quickly and Peter yelped in sudden pain; she used the leverage while he was bent over to drive her knee upwards into his diaphragm. Peter toppled over gasping for breath and Spencer was standing easily.

All twenty kids around them started yelling and quite a few, including Ashley, had dropped jaws. Spencer said nothing. Within seconds the yelling was being sorted out by the gym teacher. 

He crouched down beside Peter who had recovered his breath marginally but was holding his wrist. The teacher looked up and locked eyes on Ashley. “Okay Davies, go to the principal’s office, now.”

Ashley’s eyes were filled with outrage. “ _What?_ ”

Spencer watched the tall, model-like, blue eyed jock seemingly always at Ashley’s back step forward. “Mr. Knight, no, it totally wasn’t like that,”

“I saw enough, Aiden.” Mr. Knight snapped as he helped Peter to his feet. “You,” he caught Spencer’s eye who looked on calmly, “you can go to the principal’s office too. Fighting isn’t tolerated here. They’ll call your parents and you can explain this all to them.”

Spencer was calm as she turned from him. _I don’t think either of us actually have parents._

**

Regina tried every deep breathing, meditative technique she could think of as she stormed from her car to the doors of the high school; it wasn’t working. The pain in her ankle was mostly forgotten as she marched to Kathryn’s office. She had known the second she saw her friend’s name on her caller I.D that it wasn’t going to be good. She thought maybe Ashley had skipped after lunch as she was prone to do. Or maybe she hadn’t shown up at all.

 _But fighting?_

Regina was at her wits end with her niece and she didn’t know what more she could do. Regina barely even registered that the high school doors were held open for her by a blonde woman. _If she has been suspended for fighting that is the absolute last straw._

“Mayor Mills.” She heard Kathryn’s professional voice as she stepped into the office. She noticed Ashley, in her gym clothes, looking furious and sitting beside a blonde girl Regina didn’t recognize immediately. Regina assumed she was the same blonde girl she had watched get dropped off this morning. 

_If the new people are causing problems in my town already, I swear._

“Mayor Mills, there was an incident-”

“Spence.” Kathryn was abruptly cut off and Regina turned in surprise to see the stranger behind her. “Are you alright?” The younger blonde nodded and Regina could immediately see the familial resemblance. Regina eyed the stranger warily; her jeans and shirt were normal enough though her red leather jacket was hideous. She leaned against the doorway easily like she had no problems being called to the school on her first day in town. Regina thought she was incredibly young to have a daughter who was a senior in high school. 

“And you’re Mrs. Swan?” Kathryn asked.

“Ms. I’m Spencer’s sister and legal guardian.” She replied crisply. _Not her daughter then._

“Well, then Ms. Swan, Mayor Mills, there was an altercation in gym class earlier that resulted in a fight-”

“It wasn’t a fight.” Miss Swan was now the one to interrupt Kathryn. Regina noticed she spoken mainly to her sister. “I put this guy Peter in a wrist lock and kneed him in the abdomen.” She was blunt and unapologetic. 

“Okay.” Regina was stunned Ms. Swan was as calm as she was. “And why did you do this?” She asked her younger sibling.

Miss Swan shrugged. “He touched me and wouldn’t stop. I asked him to release me and when he wouldn’t I struck him.”

“There you go.” Ms. Swan nodded. “We all good here now?”

“What?” Regina and Kathryn exclaimed as one; Ms. Swan looked perplexed. 

“What have I missed?” Ms. Swan arched an eyebrow. “It seems pretty clear there wasn’t a fight. One of your male students assaulted my sister and she reacted in reasonable self-defence. Don’t worry,” she smirked, “neither Spencer nor I will press any charges if the boy gets a very stern talking to.”

Kathryn spluttered. “Excuse me, Ms. Swan. I think you’re stretching the details of the story a bit. Peter touched her on the arm-”

“Do you know the definition of assault, Mrs. Knight?” Ms. Swan asked in a cold voice. She took a step forward off the doorframe and Regina suddenly thought she actually looked like a parent. “It is the intentional, non-consensual application of force upon a person. He applied force to her, she told him it was unwanted and he refused to let her go. It was an assault.” Ms. Swan was almost snarling now. “And in my opinion it is child care workers like yourself that perpetuate an ideology that an assault needs to cause serious damage to count. And so help me God, if I hear the phrase boys will be boys I will sue this school.”

Regina was able to control her flabbergasted expression, partly from the outburst and partly form the intelligence behind the outburst, but Kathryn’s jaw was dropped and she looked both angry and embarrassed. 

“Spence.” Ms. Swan lightened her tone when speaking to her sister. “Is that all that happened?”

“Yup.” Spencer seemed unconcerned and unsurprised by her sister’s rant. “And Ashley wasn’t involved at all.” She gestured to Ashley sitting beside her for her sister’s benefit. “She didn’t touch me, or Peter, in any way and was only standing by when the incident occurred. I actually can’t figure out why Ashley is here at all, other than Mr. Knight seriously has it in for her.”

Now Ashley’s jaw dropped and Kathryn sputtered again. “Now,” Kathryn tried to compose herself, “that is a baseless accusation. I’m sure Mr. Knight made the best call he could under the circumstances.”

“Mr. Knight related to you, Mrs. Knight?” Ms. Swan asked with an arched eyebrow; she made the implication clear. 

Regina finally stepped in. “If there is nothing further.” She spoke in her most no-nonsense mayoral voice and she was gratified when the room silenced. “Mrs. Knight, you will call Mr. Gold’s family and of course make sure he is reprimanded and taught a lesson about respecting people’s boundaries. He will be benched from the basketball team until such time his parents, you and I feel he has learned his lesson. Ms. Swan I hope you believe that this is not a regular occurrence at this school and it will not be repeated. Miss Swan, you may have the rest of the day off if you are not up to returning to class.” Regina finally turned her gaze to Ashley’s angry eyes. “I believe gym class is waiting for you, Ashley.”

Both teenagers stood and Ms. Swan stepped forward to wrap an arm around her sister’s shoulders. Miss Swan leaned her head instantly into the older blonde and Regina felt a little jealous at their closeness as Ashley only glared at her. 

They started walking out at the same time and Regina was surprised when Ms. Swan leaned back to catch Ashley’s eye. “Sorry you got dragged outta gym for no reason, kid. That was a raw deal.” 

Regina expected Ashley to snap back but she was looking at Ms. Swan in surprise. “Yeah. It was.”

“C’mon Spence.” Ms. Swan led her sister away and both brunettes watched the blondes until they were gone.

**

Ashley was happy to escape to her favourite place; music class. She probably could have made it for the end of gym but just didn’t want to. Instead she changed while the change room was empty and loitered outside the music room. Really, she just didn’t want to tell anybody the story. Ashley was sure everyone thought she would end up suspended due to the fight; Ashley had certainly thought so. She had already been imaging the look on Regina’s face when Kathryn told her. The clicking of her aunt’s high heels from down the hallway sounded like gunshots and Ashley knew she would be facing the firing squad.

And then she hadn’t. 

It was the rest of the meeting that Ashley couldn’t explain and didn’t want to try. She was sure she could have spun it for the crowd, she always found a way, but this time she was genuinely mystified. Spencer had known she was hungover and hadn’t been giving Ashley the time of day. But then the blonde girl stepped out on a limb for her and even remarked that Mr. Knight seemed incredibly biased; to the man’s wife no less. Ashley had wanted to stand and applaud when Spencer’s older sister and completely dressed down Kathryn. _Why can’t I have that?_ Ashley had been watching Spencer’s face, like she’d been doing pretty much all day, and the relief that came over the blonde when her sister stepped into the room had been obvious and clear. _And her sister!_ Ashley had seen, more times than she could count, Regina walking into a room and being instantly ready to fight; but it was always to fight _with_ her. Spencer’s sister had walked into the principal’s office ready to take on the principal, a teacher and the entire school _for_ her. 

And then an adult, for the first time Ashley could remember, genuinely apologized to her. _“Sorry you got dragged outta gym for no reason, kid. That was a raw deal.”_ Such a simple thing Swan had probably not thought twice about; but Ashley couldn’t get it out of her head. Someone had _seen_ her. Had truly seen her situation and seen the unfairness of it. No one did that now.

Ashley barely noticed when Ms. Bell opened the music classroom door and the students shuffled in. Ashley did what she always did when her thoughts were swirling and she couldn’t contain everything she was feeling; she turned it into music.

She wasn’t a complete narcissist and she knew that a lot of the behaviour the adults around town treated her with she had coming. _If I can accept that why can’t they accept that they really do just have it out for me now? People who been in town one fucking morning can see it, why can’t they?_

Ms. Bell was instructing the class but Ashley completely tuned her out. She and the small, petite, blonde teacher had an arrangement; Ms. Bell left Ashley alone and in return Ashley didn’t start pandemonium in her classroom. _She couldn’t teach me anything anyway._

As her thoughts continued to swirl she kept coming back to the look on both blondes’ faces. The relief on the younger blonde that everything was now going to be okay because her sister was there, and the instant, fierce determination on the older blonde to dive into battle for her sister. Not once had she ever looked like that, or had someone look like that for her. 

The frustrated brunette looked down at her notebook:

_“Cause I've lost my innocence_  
_And I'm a stranger, a life changer_  
_A woman that's not afraid of danger_  
_I walk my own path, and blaze my own trail_  
_Because I'm not afraid to derail_  
_I won't get in line or be a middle man_  
_So fuck you I'll make my own plan_  
_And I got respect and I don't neglect_  
_The people that I really care to protect”_

Ashley realized she was breathing harshly and she forced herself to calm down. _No one may have ever looked at me like Swan did but I don’t need their help._ Ashley’s hands were almost shaking in anger when she continued writing.

 _“Cause you gotta be bigger, be faster, be stronger_  
_If you're gonna survive any longer_  
_In this lifetime, it better be the right time_  
_The first time might be your last time”_

She looked over the lyrics with a critical eye and thought they were at least decent. She had notebooks upon notebooks and pages with lyrics literally everywhere. Not everything was good enough to turn into a song or put to music but she liked the way this one felt. She thought there were a lot of people out there who could relate; and that was what made a good song. When people could relate and truly feel something from your words that was when you knew you had a something special. _The one thing my father actually taught me._

Ashley clenched her hands and bit her lip to stop tears from welling in her eyes. She glanced around the classroom to see if anyone was paying attention to her; as usual they weren’t. Ashley was expected to hold court in school as the bad girl and the player and the popular girl but in music class the students knew to leave her alone; they knew the music was more important to her. 

She glanced at the chalkboard and noticed Ms. Bell teaching the difference between a hook and a chorus. Ashley glanced down at her own song. She drew quick lines across the page and started writing in music notes. By ear, even silently, Ashley could hear the music and she chose a deep, heavy, intro with a quick bass line and rhythmic symbol. Underneath this she wrote her hook: 

“ _I told you before, you don't listen anymore_  
_I told you before, let’s settle the score_  
_I told you before, I won't listen anymore_  
_I told you before, let’s settle the score”_

Almost without pause Ashley drew another rough set of Staff lines and jotted down the melody she could hear growing. The brunette took the time to separate the different instruments and write down their parts in her chorus:

_“I'm not listening, not anymore_  
_The more I learn, the more I ignore_  
_I'm not listening, not anymore_  
_The more I hear, the more I ignore_  
_No I'm not listening, not anymore, no”_

The bell jarred her for the second time that day and Ashley stuffed her song into her bag and got ready along with everyone else. Normally she’d head for the courtyard and she and her friends would decide what to do with the rest of their day. By now word would have spread that Ashley Davies had decreed a party for tomorrow night and the planning for that would have to get underway. 

But today she ignored them and headed straight for the parking lot. Their parties were always the same and they could figure it out without her. Aiden could handle getting the booze and the beer and Madison would help when she realized Ashley wasn’t coming. Tomorrow Ashley would do as was expected of her by the masses but today she just couldn’t manage. 

Today she had something else in mind.


	2. Intersecting Lives

Spencer watched out the window on the admittedly short drive to their new house; it would be the first time she’d seen it. She hadn’t even bothered checking out the photos online before Emma put the down payment on it. Her backpack was between her legs on the floor and she was still in her gym clothes. Emma had walked her back to the changing room but she hadn’t even bothered to get out of her clothes; it wasn’t like they were sweaty. Her Zippo was in her hands and she was rhythmically snapping the lid open and shut. 

“Who was the other brunette woman in the principal’s office? The one there for Ashley?”

“The mayor.” Spencer smirked over at her sister. “They call her the Evil Queen.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “She levy the taxes or something?”

The younger blonde shrugged. “I dunno. I think she’s just strict. She’s Ashley’s aunt. Probably wasn’t the way you wanted to meet the mayor.” 

Emma tilted her head which usually meant she was thinking. “No, probably not. But if she’s a hardass it might answer some questions I had about a visit from the Sheriff this morning.” Emma told Spencer the entire story; the sisters kept no secrets from each other.

The younger blonde laughed and shook her head. “I can’t believe you had your gun just in your pants.”

“Good times.” Emma remarked. “I wonder if the mayor sent him to check us out. And Ashley lives with her?”

Spencer hesitated before adding, “I don’t think she has any parents either.”

Emma hummed. “Something you’re going to bond over and become friends?”

“I don’t think you want that.” Spencer laughed. She got out of Old Yeller when Emma parked and judged the house with only a mildly curious eye. They’d been in apartments for the last while so having a yard was a new experience. “She came into class still practically drunk, she hit on me shamelessly with her first words to me and then apparently her crowd spent the entire day planning a party for tomorrow night. She’s got a bad reputation.”

“Here, catch.” Emma tossed her the car keys so she could open the front door while Emma grabbed bags from the backseat. Spencer pushed open the front door and automatically, reflexively, reached out to steady the teetering vase she knew would be there. There was a small entranceway and then the living room was off to the right and the kitchen directly ahead. 

Her sister closed the door behind her carrying two plastic bags. “Only one hardware store in the entire town, can you believe that?” Emma huffed. “If they don’t have something apparently we’re going out of town. Lucky I had some stuff still left over from our last place.” She handed one of the bags to Spencer and the younger blonde peered in it. It was mostly full of long, thin wooden dowels about the thickness of her pinky finger. “You want the dowels or the tint?”

“Definitely the dowels.” Spencer picked up her sisters car keys again. Beside a swan keychain was a Swiss Army utility knife; it included a blade that had a serrated edge. 

“So are you going to go?” Emma asked while they moved over to the first window in the living room. 

Spencer measured out the window pane length with a dowel and marked it with a pencil her sister passed her. “To what?”

“The party tomorrow night.”

Spencer chuckled. “You want me to go with Ashley?” 

Emma was laying out a roll of protective film, that had a slight tint to it, and cutting it into the right size with scissors. “Not necessarily with Ashley, no. But just in general.”

“Most guardians would be advising against this party, you know.” Spencer dropped a cut piece of dowel into the track of the window. She flipped the window lock and then reefed on the window; it still couldn’t move an inch. She locked the window again and arched an eyebrow at her sister.

“I don’t mind you living your life, Spence. You can experience normal teenage things. I trust you to go to a party and maybe have some drinks and dance and laugh a little without getting into serious trouble. I trust you around Ashley too, if that’s what you want.”

“It isn’t.” Spencer’s voice was serious. “She’s too much trouble.”

“Fair enough.” Emma laid the film on the window and the sisters checked each edge. From this side of the window it was hardly noticeable. From the outside, from the road, it would be hardly noticeable. But if someone tried to press their nose right to the glass they would find it difficult to see details on the inside. It also was strong enough to help hold cracks in the window together and made it difficult to shatter. “But just remember, you’ve had a bad reputation in some of your schools too. Reputations are a funny thing.”

“I know. And if she hadn’t come to school drunk today than maybe I wouldn’t have listened to the gossip so much. I just don’t need that drama in my life.”

“Alright then.” Emma nodded easily. “Who would you go to the party with?”

Spencer shrugged as they gathered their tools and moved to the kitchen window. “Maybe Chelsea.” She told her sister all about the quiet girl who had befriended her. “I’m not sure a rager thrown by Ashley Davies is her kind of thing either though.” She measured another dowel and started cutting it to length. 

“Maybe with you there she’ll feel better about going, so the two of you can watch each other.” For the first time Emma turned a mildly serious eye to her sister. “Remind me of the Swan Sisters patented rules for ruling and surviving parties?”

Spencer chuckled. “Rule one: only drink something that I have poured myself and seen in its original bottle. Rule two: if my drink is ever out of my sight, that drink is now forfeit. Rule three: always bring lifesavers. Rule four: decide how many drinks I think I can have and still make it home safely and then subtract two. Rule five: never wander off alone even to pee.”

“Excellent.” Emma finished putting up another section of film on the window. “And lastly?” 

“Look fine and make them all jealous.”

“That’s my girl.” 

They worked together and quickly finished up their security touches on the house. Spencer felt slightly calmer and more at peace the more they finished their move-in routine; and she knew her sister felt the same way. When they were done with the windows Spencer held the tools for Emma while she quickly installed a security chain and a deadbolt on the kitchen door. “I had a front door key cut for you, it’s on the counter. We should never have to open this door.”

“Got it.” Spencer took the key and wandered back to her own bedroom. She enjoyed the stillness and the peace as she quietly went about putting away her things. She changed the sheets and put the ones that had been on the bed in the hall closet. She unpacked her suitcase and figured she probably had enough clothes for two weeks, maybe three, before she desperately needed to go shopping. 

Emma knocked gently on the door even though it was open. Spencer glanced up and with one look at her changed outfit smiled warmly. “Have fun.”

“I shall. When I get back we’ll find out if this town has any good burgers and catch up on some more Orphan Black?” 

“Sounds good.” She listened for the sound of Emma leaving and when she didn’t hear Old Yeller she assumed Emma thought the town was small enough she could complete this task on foot. 

When there was nothing else to fold or put away Spencer pulled out her notebook and read over everything she had written that morning. She decided after twenty minutes that it must not be very good because her thoughts kept straying to the upcoming party tomorrow night.

The party and Ashley.

**

Ashley forcibly controlled her breathing and her feet pounded the ground almost to the beat of the music blasting in her ears. 

_“Now is the time to fight, get up on your feet gonna be alright_   
_No time for the fear or pain, do you wanna be the best or stay the same_   
_Now they say you're not good enough, 'cause they know you're a star_   
_Fight for every dream, you're number one and I'm on your team”_

She forced herself to step faster, to move quicker, and she ran across the dirt trail easily. She never feared a twisted ankle or a misstep; these were _her_ woods and no one could run them like she did. Not a single person, except maybe her aunt, could even picture the notorious, lazy bad-girl sprinting through the woods but Ashley did it constantly. With no one to see her, or bother her, or judge her, Ashley was free to listen to her music and run as if her life depended on it.

Sometimes it seemed like it really did.

_“They think you'll never win, so let us go show them_   
_That you can do it, you can make it, you'll succeed on your own_   
_And now you're gonna see, that it's the moment you think that you can't_   
_You will find that you can”_

She ignored the sweat dripping off the end of her nose and running down between her shoulder blades. She ignored the hair that had escaped her tight ponytail and was now plastered to her neck. She ignored the usual mindless chatter and thoughts and feelings that plagued her and she just ran. The rolling in her stomach and long since faded but the headache pressing against her temples still plagued her; Ashley pushed it aside and ran harder.

Only years of training, years of running, kept her lungs steady and easy as Ashley breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. Without stopping or slowing down she jumped up onto a stump at the side of the path and pushed off it. She sailed easily over a deep puddle, hit the ground in stride and kept moving. 

_“Now listen to your heart, and never give up on yourself_   
_Keep fighting for that dream, here's what ya gonna do_   
_You're gonna make it through, you're gonna find your way_   
_Go keep fighting, go go keep trying”_

Ashley struggled to let everything go. She couldn’t forget how mad she was at her aunt; how frustrated it made her that she just refused to try and _understand_. How mad she was at herself for every time Henry looked her in the face and asked her why people in town talked about her. Every time he pouted and asked why mom was sad. Every time he slipped and called her _sister_. She couldn’t let go of the people at school that called her _friend_ and yet didn’t know the first thing about her. Couldn’t let go of the look in Aiden and Madison’s eyes’; who actually did know her. Couldn’t let go of her rage at how she was treated by every adult town even when she didn’t deserve it.

Ashley let out a howl of frustration she could barely hear over the music and as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes she only pushed herself harder. 

_“Go and fight and then dance tonight_   
_Up down up now break it down_   
_Go go keep fighting, go go keep fighting_   
_Are you ready to go, you're number one now ya know”_

With a sudden turn Ashley was off the dirt path and just running through the woods. Her body reacted instinctively and she now ducked and weaved around trees and branches. She pushed herself just as hard, barely losing any speed, even as she tore through the thicket. Twigs pulled at her hair and brushed against her skin but she forced those distractions aside. She ran lightly, almost up on her toes, and she raced across the uneven terrain. 

No thoughts could reach her here; she wouldn’t let them. She needed everything she had to make it through this run and so for the first time today, she was truly free.

_“Stop complaining and get back to training_   
_You were born to be free and be someone_   
_Now ya know that you're number one_   
_And around and round, round we go_   
_Where we stop a no one knows”_

Ashley leapt over a fallen log and landed back on another dirt path with a triumphant yell and a fist pump.

_“Now keep fighting and don't stop unless the world should end_   
_You're gonna make it through this, keep trying_   
_Only you can make your dream come true_   
_I believe in you”_

She never even saw the person she body slammed into.

**

Emma heard her coming a mile away. The only sounds she had been hearing was her own slow, deep breathing as she ran and the gentle sounds of nature around her; the unidentified person running through the woods was anything but gentle.

The blonde had been a little shocked and kept her eyes and ears peeled off into the denser forest on her left. If it wasn’t for the lack of shrieking and screaming Emma might have thought that the person was being chased. _Although not everything that can chase a person is physical._

Emma finally caught sight of her through the trees because she was wearing tight white running pants. The blonde picked up her own pace a little when she saw the brunette racing for her path. She quickly realized that for whatever reason the girl had no idea she was so close to another person. When she was only a few feet away Emma finally recognized her as Ashley. It had taken her a minute because her wavy hair was pulled back and sweat soaked and when she was in running pants and a sports bra she didn’t look like the same angry, sullen teenager Emma had seen earlier. 

The blonde could have avoided a collision but she couldn’t leave Ashley alone without checking if she was alright first. In Emma’s experience, which was admittedly vast, people didn’t run as if from danger when everything was fine. 

The brunette nimbly jumped over a log and landed on the path and then stepped directly into Emma. The blonde, who was ready for it, accepted the impact and the girls elbow to her sternum while reaching her hands out to grab Ashley and stop her from falling. 

The crash knocked the wind out of Ashley a little bit and Emma held her steady when she staggered. 

“What the fuck!” Ashley finally got herself balanced, yanked herself free of Emma’s grip and then pulled her earbuds out. Emma could hear the music pretty clearly even from where the earbuds now rested against sweat soaked skin. Emma watched Ashley move from instant anger to recognition and the blonde merely arched an eyebrow. She watched Ashley change her stance, to a forced nonchalance that wasn’t fooling her, and then trail her eyes up and down her body. 

Emma almost laughed when the teenager checked her out. The blonde knew that she looked good; her running shorts cut off mid-thigh, she had leanly muscled runners legs, and her tank top was tight enough to show the impression of her muscled abdomen. Her arms, possibly her best asset even without the tattoos, were on full display. Emma also watched the brunette clock over all the ink showing and she couldn’t hide her excited and intrigued expression. 

“Are you alright?” Emma chose to break the moment and Ashley snapped her eyes back up to Emma’s face. “I can’t say I was expecting a teenager to come busting out through the woods.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m totally fine.” Ashley smirked widely. “I’m Ashley by the way.” Emma thought that smirk, and the abs she had showing that rivaled Emma’s own, had probably worked very well for the teen. She remembered Spence telling her Ashley had hit on her the second she’d seen her. _Probably used to everyone falling at her feet._

“Emma. And good. That was a jarring hit. I wouldn’t want to see your aunt angry a second time today if I had to bring you home injured.”

Emma had been watching carefully and thought, though Ashley was instantly a little sullen, she had been pleased by Emma calling the mayor properly as her aunt and not her mom. “Don’t worry,” Ashley snapped, “if that ever happens it’ll be instantly my fault.”

“Hmm. That happen a lot around here? People blame you for everything?”

“All the fucking time.” Ashley hadn’t noticed that Emma had started walking down the trail and that she’d instinctively fallen into step beside her.

“I see. Do you ever deserve it?”

“Excuse me?” Ashley sounded affronted and Emma chuckled.

“You heard me. Sometimes when things happen and they blame you, do you deserve it?” Emma watched the emotions play easily across the teen’s face and the brunette sighed audibly before she gave her answer. 

“Yes, sometimes. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the times I genuinely do nothing and the town still decides to slap me in the face for it.”

Emma picked up her pace into a light jog and Ashley automatically matched her step for step. “Yeah, that’s not right.” Emma agreed. “Don’t get me wrong, if it’s your fault then fair game. But you should never be blamed for things you don’t do.”

“Right?” Ashley threw her hands up into the air. “You mind telling my aunt that?”

“She was the woman in the principal’s office today, right?”

“Yeah. Your new Evil Queen.”

There was something Emma didn’t like about Ashley calling her aunt that but she let it slide. “She seemed strict.”

“She is.” Ashley huffed. Emma noticed that Ashley was almost completely sweat soaked and she kept her even light jog; she didn’t want to out-pace her when the teenager had clearly already put in an extreme workout. “And she doesn’t understand.”

From the clenched jaw and harder stomps on the dirt path Emma knew whatever was bothering Ashley ran deep. She had seen more kids in her life with that upset, angry and _betrayed_ looked on their faces. _Hell, both Spence and I were those kids._ “What doesn’t she understand?”

Ashley’s expression shuttered closed and Emma knew that was as much as she was getting. “That’s some pretty sick ink.”

“Thank you.”

“No wonder you didn’t care about Spencer having a tattoo.” 

“I was there when she got it.” Emma admitted. She didn’t know exactly why she was making such an effort with the teen but she couldn’t forget the look in her eye that spelt out clearly that Ashley had no one. “So is it just me or is this town batshit crazy?”

Ashley burst out laughing and Emma grinned at the unrestrained sound. Instead of her dangerous smirk Ashley gave a more genuine, nose crinkling, smile. “You’re right, the town is batshit. I’ve said that for years.”

“You haven’t always lived here? I thought Spence and I were like the first to come since the settlers.”

Ashley frowned deeply. “I was actually born here, and was here for a bit. Then I left and came back later.”

Emma wasn’t foolish enough to pry for more information so she just kept running. She knew Ashley would speak if she wanted to.

“So where are you and Spencer from?”

“Spencer didn’t tell you during your long conversation together?” Emma challenged with an arched eyebrow. She almost couldn’t believe that Ashley actually blushed and looked sheepish.

“Yeah, my bad. Is this where you tell me to stay away from your sister?”

Emma was torn. Part of her _did_ in fact want to tell her to stay away from Spencer. Spence had said Ashley was trouble and drama she didn’t want to deal with and she wasn’t going to put that on her sister. On the other hand, Emma saw something in Ashley; something familiar. She had said the words as a joke and her tone and smirk had been perfect; but she couldn’t yet fake the look of sadness from her eyes. Emma truly believed that someone really _had_ told her to stay away from their kid before.

“Spencer is tougher than she looks.” Emma said instead. “She doesn’t need me fighting her battles.”

“Uh, yeah. No shit!” Ashley laughed. “You forget I was there when she took down Peter-fucking-Pan in like one second.” Ashley leapt off the ground and mimed the iconic Bruce Lee position from Enter the Dragon in the air. Emma couldn’t help but chuckle at the teen’s surprising silliness; she was even more impressed when Ashley landed easily without breaking stride. 

“I may have taught Spence a few things.” Emma remarked. 

“Good. Peter had it coming. He’s always been handsy. Aiden has wanted to punch him for years but he was scared about getting kicked off the basketball team.”

“Who’s Aiden?”

“My best friend. His dad works in the mine with half of the town and his mom works at the La Tandoor restaurant.” Ashley paused and Emma, with infinitely more patience, waited her out. “Everyone obviously assumes it’s me but Aiden’s actually the one with the hookup that gets our alcohol.”

Emma knew when she was being tested and didn’t outwardly react at all. “Don’t get anything in a jug with triple X’s on it. Means they’re making that shit in mom’s basement or a shed and that’s always sketchy.”

Ashley laughed and beamed and Emma wondered when the last time anyone spoke to her without reprimanding her was. Their conversation was cut off as the trail looped around to the car park and they both slowed to look at the one vehicle. 

“To an unaware observer, I think a stranger would guess that was your car.” Ashley sassed and Emma rolled her eyes. Admittedly Ashley’s black sports car would make Old Yeller look even worse.

“You own a Porsche?”

“Mhmm.” Emma watched Ashley touch the hood of her car reverently but her eyes were tinged with deep sadness. In a heartbeat the look was gone. “A gift from my parents. They wanted to make sure I had the best ride in town.”

“Possibly even the best ride in the state. What’s the model?”

“718 Boxster.” Ashley grinned proudly at the two-seater but Emma laughed.

“You have no idea what that means do you?” She knew Ashley had simply regurgitated the model from memory.

“I know it was expensive and my car goes real fast.” Ashley stuck her tongue out childishly. Emma, still chuckling, accepted the bottle of water Ashley pulled from the back seat and took a grateful drink. 

“I’m surprised you got your Porsche up into this dirt car park. You must come here a lot?”

Ashley must have sensed the subtle interrogation because she looked back warily. “Sometimes.”

Emma nodded like it didn’t matter. “Well, I hope you don’t mind sharing the trail occasionally. I liked running up here too.”

“Sure.” Ashley said after a moment’s hesitation. “Running with you didn’t suck so bad.” Ashley shrugged her shoulders but Emma knew that concession had meant a lot. She made a snap decision. 

“Hey Ashley?”

“Mhmm?”

“Will you do me a favour?” 

The brunette teenager went on instant high alert. “What?” 

“Will you watch out for Spence at the party tomorrow night?” Emma smirked at her deer in headlights expression. “I think her and a girl named Chelsea are going to go. Spence can handle herself but she doesn’t really know anybody yet. I’m worried she won’t let herself have any fun.”

Ashley looked dumbstruck. “Um. Yeah. No. I mean, yes. Okay?” 

“Ashley.” Emma lowered her voice. “When I say fun, I mean harmless teenager fun. Do you understand me?”

Ashley stood up straighter. “I got it. Fun but don’t let anything happen to her.” Emma stared into her eyes and trusted the respect she saw in them. _God this kid just needs to be given another chance._

“Good. Enjoy the rest of your night, kiddo.” Emma turned on her heel and jogged away down the path that led to the road; she hoped Spencer didn’t kill her for what she’d just done.

**

Regina’s ankle was aching, her head was throbbing and she hadn’t felt more defeated by a day in recent memory. Her impromptu trip to the high school had completely disrupted her day. She had been forced to cancel meetings with both the District Attorney Albert Spencer and the head of the small business association Russel Gold. She was looking even less forward to dealing with Mr. Gold once he learned of her part in his son Peter’s suspension from the basketball team. 

That was another part of Regina’s day that made her grit her teeth. She wasn’t used to someone other than herself barging into a meeting and taking over. She had been unprepared for Ms. Swan and she still didn’t know what the woman was doing in her town. Graham had been maddeningly unhelpful; he had only managed to procure her full name and her new job. Graham had placed a subtle call in to Amherst and they had indeed just hired Ms. Swan as a bail bondsperson. _A bounty hunter._ Regina scoffed. The background search had come up with absolutely nothing of note except for a lot of different addresses. She had already assumed this as Kathryn had told her that Miss Swan’s transcripts had come from a variety of schools. She could only hope that the Swans continued their trend and moved on quickly. She had enough problems without trying to deal with two rogue city slickers.

_Speaking of problems._

Regina parked her Benz at the grocery store just in time to see Aiden Dennison and half the school basketball team exit the store carrying several cases and multiple bottles of pop. Regina arched an eyebrow. She hadn’t seen Ashley since she had left her at the high school and she was surprised her niece wasn’t with this crowd. _It probably just means she’s elsewhere causing trouble._

The team all piled into three cars and drove away. Regina longed to stop them but buying pop together wasn’t a crime. If they thought she didn’t know about the parties they had on the weekends they were sorely mistaken; she saw the results in Ashley the next morning every time. 

With a sigh Regina got out of the car and tried to remember why she was even here when all she had wanted was to take her heels off and get a glass of wine. _Oh yes, Henry._

When her schedule had been disrupted Mother Superior had insisted that her town issues could not wait and had demanded her meeting anyway. Regina tried not to curse, out loud anyway, about nuns but Mother Superior severely tried her patience. The nun had caused her to be almost an hour late picking Henry up from school. When she had finally shown up Henry was sitting on the curb looking forlorn with his teacher, Mary-Margret Blanchard. Regina instantly felt worse. She never wanted her day to effect Henry. _Not her little prince._ She had tempted a smile from the child by offering to cook anything he wanted for supper. Typically he had chosen her lasagna and now Regina was out getting ingredients. 

She grabbed a basket and walked quickly through the aisles; the entire town moved aside for her anyway. It wasn’t until she was passing the frozen section when she caught sight of blonde hair that was quickly becoming familiar. The younger Swan was holding a basket and debating over frozen boxes of food.

Regina made a snap decision and positioned herself so that when Miss. Swan turned around their baskets bumped into each other.

“Oh Jesus, sorry.” Miss Swan flushed and apologized instantly. 

“No harm done, dear.” Regina smiled. “You’re Miss Swan, correct? We weren’t properly introduced earlier, I’m Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke.”

“Pleased to meet you ma’am.” Miss Swan said politely. Regina had to give her credit for her manners at least. 

“I hope you’re alright after this afternoon?”

“Yeah, fine.” The blonde girl shrugged. “I’m used to being the new girl in town. The boys can be a bit much.” 

“I’m sure they can.” Regina smiled lightly. “So you and your sister move around a lot?” Regina fished.

Miss Swan shrugged. “Yeah she has one of those jobs. It’s fine.” Regina, at heart a politician, could hear the rehearsed stock answer easily. 

“I see.” She eyed the girl’s basket of a few condiments and a box of frozen hamburger patties uneasily. “And Ms. Swan sends you to do the shopping?” 

Miss Swan let out a bark of laughter. “No, either one of us would need to actually grocery shop for that to happen. We don’t really cook. Tonight we were supposed to find out if the town has any good burgers, but then I was exploring the house and found a barbeque in the backyard.” Her excitement was telling and Regina softened slightly. “Like an actual barbeque. So I thought it might be fun on our first night to see if we can make our own burgers for the first time. We’ve never had a barbeque before.”

Something in Regina’s chest clenched. “You’ve never had barbeque?”

“Well,” the young blonde shrugged, “not from my own backyard. We’ve lived in a lot of apartments and the houses we’ve had didn’t have one. It couldn’t be too hard, could it?” Miss Swan looked a little scared at the box of burgers and Regina shook her head slightly. 

“Okay. Put those back where you found them.” Regina pointed in slight disgust at the boxed food and directed her over to the meats again. Miss Swan hurried to follow directions and ended up beside the mayor. Regina dropped a package of extra lean ground beef in her basket. “If this is your first experience with home barbequing we’re at least going to make sure your burgers don’t taste processed. Plus, this is healthier for you. Now, do you have an onion at home already?”

“Um, I honestly don’t think there’s any item in our fridge at all.”

Regina couldn’t help her affectionate grin. “Onions aren’t kept in the fridge, dear. So I see we’re starting from scratch, okay. This way.” Regina led Miss Swan back to the produce section and she could hear the teenager following quickly in her wake. “This,” she held one up, “is a cooking onion. While this,” she grabbed another, “is a Spanish onion. The Spanish is for slicing and eating raw on foods like burgers, while the cooking is obviously for chopping and cooking.” She gave the teen both to put in her basket and noticed Miss Swan had whipped out her phone and was taking notes at the speed at which only a millennial could. “Now, you’ll need tomato and lettuce. Is there anything else you and Ms. Swan like on your burgers?”

“Bacon.” The blonde nodded promptly and Regina’s eye twitched. 

“If you must.” Regina led her back over to the bacon and laid a hand gently on Miss Swan’s arm when she reached for the first package. “At least look through them all and try to get the least fatty package.” She helped the teen choose one and realized, when Miss Swan was comparing two different packages with the bacon an inch from her face, that the teen was actually taking this seriously. The thought made Regina’s lips quirk into a smile. Once they had selected the bacon Regina led her up and down several different aisles, picking things out and explaining to her why she’d chosen them. Miss Swan continued to take diligent notes and it made Regina want to a coo a little bit.

“Now, are you ready for recipe instructions?” Regina asked her.

Miss Swan set the basket on the tiled floor and held her phone at the ready. “Okay hit me.”

“You will finely grate your cooking onion and then mince once clove of garlic. Then, take a large bowl and whisk an egg. Then add in the onion and the garlic. Next, measure in a teaspoon of mustard and a teaspoon of the Worcestershire sauce. Then a big pinch of salt and pepper.”

Miss Swan looked up in mild alarm. “A big pinch? What does that mean?”

Regina chuckled and mimed pinching in the air with her thumb and pointer finger. “An actual pinch, Miss Swan. Now, are you and your sister more barbeque or ketchup people?”

“Barbeque.”

“Add in a tablespoon of barbeque sauce as well. Do you like spicy food?”

Miss Swan beamed. “Yeah we can handle it. We’ve ordered takeout from authentic cuisine places that warn you the food will melt your face off, and we’ve been fine.” She chuckled. 

“Well. No need for face melting, dear. But you can add a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes.” Regina was steering her over to the spice aisle. “Now once that’s all mixed in together I want you to add the ground beef. This is important,” Miss Swan looked up to meet her eyes, “when you’re mixing the beef in I want you to be as gentle as possible and do as little as possible. The more you handle the meat the tougher it’ll be.”

“Got it. Gentle, okay.” 

“Press and shape your mixture into patties gently and then once you have them press your thumb into the centre and leave an impression.”

Miss Swan blinked. “To…sign my burger?”

Regina laughed out loud; two other patrons in the grocery whipped their heads around in surprise at the sound. “No, dear. It stops the patties from puffing up during cooking. Then you can put them on the grill, about 6 or 7 minutes a side should do.”

“This is going to be awesome.” Miss Swan beamed. “Emma’s gonna flip. Thanks madam mayor.”

The title made Regina’s smile freeze slightly but she made sure her response was warm. “You’re very welcome, dear. I should like to hear how they turn out.”

“Sure.” Miss Swan gave a cheerful wave and turned away. “Thanks again.”

“Oh, Miss Swan?” The blonde arched an eyebrow curious.

“Inform your sister that I expect her to actually stock your fridge and cupboards so you have things to eat on a regular basis. And please watch a YouTube video on barbeque safety before you attempt this.” Regina said please but she said it like an order; the blonde laughed. 

“You got it, madam mayor.”

For the second time today Regina watched the blonde walk away and then she shook herself from her revelry. She quickly conducted her own shopping so she could get back to Henry. She smiled as she thought about the ground beef sitting in her own freezer and wondered if she should treat her kids to burgers this weekend. 

Even in her own mind she felt compelled to correct herself. 

_Not my kids. My son and my niece._

**

Emma opened the front door and called out to Spencer; she started stripping out of her jacket even as she reached out with her other hand to steady the rocking vase on the end table. “Spence?”

“In here.”

The elder blonde moved through the open archway that led into the kitchen and found her sister as well as a disaster. “What the hell is this?”

Spencer grinned up sheepishly at her. “Cooking?”

“Since when can you cook?” Emma laughed. “I sure as hell didn’t teach you.” Her sister grinned and explained her grocery store expedition after finding the barbeque.

“Here, starting frying this bacon.” Spencer tossed her the package. “I assume that has to be done now.”

Emma got caught up in her sister’s easy excitement and grinned. “Aye aye Chef.”

“I think it’s just yes, chef.” Spencer teased.

“And you know this from your one and only foray into cooking?” She shook her head. “Does the barbeque even have propane in it?”

“Yup I checked.”

Emma glanced around sharply. “What?”

“Don’t worry, the mayor made me watch a YouTube video on safety first. Okay! So now I just have to press my thumb into these patties and we can grill them.” The sisters spent the next fifteen minutes laughing and second guessing their abilities when the patties appeared like they were dripping and catching on fire. 

“The best burger I’ve ever eaten.” Emma managed to exclaim with her mouth full ten minutes later. 

“I hope we don’t get sick.”

Emma nearly spat the bite out. “What the hell? Why would we get sick?”

“I dunno, we can’t cook? Maybe the mayor should have babysat us in the kitchen.” Spencer chuckled.

“So, the mayor. She was nice?”

“Yeah.” Spencer nodded thoughtfully. “She seemed a little…stiff maybe? Or uptight? But when I said it was going to be our first ever barbeque she took the time to get all the ingredients with me and explain everything. The recipe was hers.” Spencer looked mystified for a second. “She knew it all off the top of her head. Like didn’t have to check on anything.”

“So the mayor is a real holly homemaker then?” Emma snagged another piece of bacon when her burger was demolished. 

“I guess. I can’t imagine growing up with a mother like that.”

“Me neither.” Emma hated the melancholy in Spencer’s eyes and wished she could fix it. “And you said she’s Ashley aunt but she grew up with her?”

“Yeah.” She grabbed napkins for the both of them. “Chelsea said Ashley must delight in messing up her aunt’s town.”

Emma frowned a little. “That sounds like-”

“Conjecture, I know.” Spencer held up a hand. “I was just saying. But like you said, reputations are weird. You usually don’t get a reputation without there being some shred of truth in it.”

“Also true.” Emma couldn’t help but remember the brunette running like she was trying escape or running for her life. “But what’s the rule about judging someone else’s home life?”

“I know.” Spencer rolled her eyes. “To never do it. It’s impossible to judge what goes on in someone else’s home.” Emma waited while Spencer seemed to think about it. “Okay fine, I’ll give you not judging a reputation or a home life and basing an opinion only on facts. And the fact is, Ashley still came to school drunk today and that speaks to a problem.”

“I will give you that. Maybe she does have a problem.” Emma conceded. Running through a hangover is ambitious and Emma had to give her credit. 

“Exactly. A party on a Friday night and a class on Thursday morning are two very different things.”

“Very.” They worked in easy harmony to clean the kitchen from their epic mess. “How did you even use all these utensils?” 

Spencer shrugged. “I don’t know. The instructions were vague. I barely knew what a whisk was.”

She started loading the dishwasher and Emma wiped down the counters. “Did you ask Chelsea to go with you to that party yet?”

“No. I don’t even have her number. I’ll ask her tomorrow if she wants to go. Also, most guardians wouldn’t be pushing for their teen to go party.”

“Most guardians don’t have kids as trustworthy as you.” Emma smirked. “Have some fun tomorrow night, won’t you?”

“I have fun!” 

Emma threw the dishtowel and it struck Spencer in the mouth. She laughed while her younger sister sputtered. “Sure you do. Studying isn’t fun. Reading is something you enjoy but it isn’t fun. Writing is your passion and I respect the hell out of that but it’s basically work too. It isn’t mindless fun.”

“So instead you want me to go to some frat party and have some drinks and play Never Have I Ever while I lie about the answers and then dance with some random girl?”

Emma grinned. “Kind of, yeah. You want me to help you pick out an outfit?”

“Oh my god, you’re ridiculous. I will go to the party and I will have fun and make memories.”

“Good.” Emma let it drop. “You want to hit the spare room?”

Spencer groaned and placed a hand on her stomach. “We just ate.”

“Good. If you can keep your food down consider it a win.”

Emma laughed when Spencer groaned and rolled her eyes but they dutifully went to their own bedrooms to change. The spare room, which Emma guessed was supposed to be an office, was at the back of the house. She had gutted it earlier so the room was completely empty and then she’d lined the floor and walls with mats and padding. 

“Okay, let’s do this.” Spencer came in wearing basically the same outfit as Emma; a sports bra and tight workout shorts. Emma’s outfit was all black, because she figured her arms were colourful enough on their own, and Spencer wore bright pink and white. They helped tape the others hands minimally and then moved to the centre of the room. 

Emma smirked. “You take me down _and_ hold your dinner and I’ll even buy your blue hair dye.”

“Deal.” Spencer was already bouncing on her toes and swinging her arms lightly. She rotated her neck and bounced back and forth a few times. Emma knew she had more toned muscle than her sister; but Spencer was quick. 

Emma had infinitely more patience and knew she could wait her sister out. Spencer struck without warning; a backhanded jab towards her face and her front foot lashed out in a front kick for her stomach. Emma ducked her head back and slid to the left while she used her forearm to deflect the kick. Spencer danced out of range before she even thought about striking back.

“Eat too much bacon?” Spencer teased.

Emma smirked. “How’s _your_ stomach? The way you keep hiding over by the door I think you’re about to flee to lose your dinner.” 

Spencer danced back into range, up on her toes, and Emma threw a few punches experimentally. The younger blonde barely seemed fazed as she danced around them. “Too slow.”

“You talk too much.” Emma teased. They moved around each other, testing the others defences, but not really trying yet. Spencer finally threw a half-hearted punch at Emma’s face trying to obscure the roundhouse kick she was moving into.

Emma saw her hips move and when Spencer struck she moved into her sisters space. Spencer’s leg twisted without room and Emma hooked Spencer’s thigh from underneath. She hauled her sister bodily off her feet and Spencer came down hard on her back with her sister on top of her.

Spencer slapped the ground with her forearms as she came down; the motion rocked her head forwards instead of back and would have saved the back of her skull if there hadn’t been matting. Emma still had a grip on her sister’s thigh but Spencer swung her free leg around and wrapped it around the back of Emma’s neck. 

Emma tried to muscle out of the hold and finally dropped her elbow down into the muscle of Spencer’s thigh. Both girls released their grips and were on their feet in seconds. 

“Charlie horse much?”

“Leave yourself open much?” 

They continued sparring back and forth for another five minutes. They used grips and takedowns more than outright blows but both were starting to breathe hard when Emma stepped back and called the match. “Good.” 

Spencer adjusted her ponytail as much as she could with her taped hands. “Not bad. You totally had me with that shoulder pin though.”

“You shouldn’t have tried to use muscle to get out of it. That’s how you dislocate your shoulder. Come here.” Emma showed her the pin again and taught the best ways to get herself out of it. She let Spence take her to the ground several times until she had the releases and counter-moves down. It was never about beating her sister; it was about survival. “Good. You cramping?”

“Not bad.” Spencer experimentally flexed her abs and then slapped her stomach twice. “Made of iron.”

“Where was that iron stomach in-”

“Don’t say Missouri.”

“Missouri.”

“I had a stomach bug!” Spencer screeched; her outrage was lessened by the fact she couldn’t stop smiling. 

“Yeah. I’d have a “stomach bug” if I ate a gas station burrito too. And I warned you not to eat it. Old Yeller smelt like bad Mexican for like a month". Emma was peeling the tape off her hands with her teeth even as she laughed. 

“Shut up.” Spencer turned on her heel and marched from the sparring room. “Just for that I’m hitting the shower first.”

“Rude.” Emma called after her even though she didn’t really mind. She did everything she could to make sure that Spencer was safe. She taught her everything she wished someone had taken the time to teach her. She had no doubt that Spencer could survive. 

_I just wish someone could teach her to_ live _too._

**

Ashley kept a change of clothes in her car, because she had no problems stripping out in the woods, but could do nothing about her makeup-less face and her hair slicked back into a ponytail and turning curly as it dried. It was the exact reason that Ashley believed Regina might be the one person that knew she ran. _And now there’s Emma._

Ashley didn’t know what to think of Spencer’s older sister. Twice now the older blonde had really seen her. Emma didn’t speak down to her and didn’t seem to care about her reputation. She still called her out on her bullshit and the thought made Ashley grin. Yesterday there wasn’t anyone in town that would stand up to her and wasn’t family; now there were two and they were both blonde. 

Her thoughts trailed from the older blonde to the younger. Emma had actually told Ashley to watch out for Spencer at the party. No one had ever done that. Most parents warned Ashley away from their kids. _There’s also the fact that Emma apparently doesn’t care about the party itself._

She let herself in the front door of the mansion that had been the only true home she’d ever known. _If home is a building anyway._

“Ashley.” The younger brunette groaned when she hadn’t even made it to the stairs and Regina was already calling her into the kitchen. 

“What?” The kitchen admittedly smelt good and Ashley was starving after her workout. Her aunt arched an eyebrow.

“Please don’t take that tone with me. And we need to talk about today.”

Ashley scowled instantly. “Oh, you mean when your friends automatically assumed if someone was in a fight it had to be me and hauled my ass into the office? You mean talk about that?”

Regina let go of her stirring spoon and it clanked in the metal pot on the stove. She turned around to lean on the counter and face her. “Well, Ashley, you can’t exactly blame them. When 9 times out of 10 you _are_ the culprit of the incidents that go on in that school.”

_Typical. Can’t even listen._ “Yeah I think we’ve established that everything that goes wrong in this town is indeed my fault. Good talk.” Ashley turned her back on her aunt but her next words stopped her in her tracks. 

“Where have you been since school ended? Were you with Aiden?” Regina’s voice was light but Ashley didn’t trust the politician. She knew a fishing expedition when she heard one.

“I was for a bit yeah. And then we split up for a little while.” Ashley lied and carefully covered all her bases. Either she was in trouble or Aiden was and Ashley didn’t want to make things worse for either of them. 

“What do you guys have planned for this weekend?”

Ashley shrugged. “The usual. Hanging out.”

“You mean the usual hangouts that result in you stumbling home drunk at 4 in the morning.” Regina snapped. “Ashley, I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?”

“About everything. About your behaviour. About you skipping class and drinking underage.”

Ashley scowled and crossed her arms angrily. “I’m sorry if my behaviour makes you look bad.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about but for the record, yes it does make me look bad. We can’t keep going like this. Staying out all night and partying and drinking. Now I’m getting calls about fights.”

“That wasn’t even me!” Ashley snapped. “I had nothing to do with that fight and Spencer even said so! God, Emma believed her without even having to think about it, why couldn’t you do that?”

“Perhaps Ms. Swan is used to getting calls about fighting but I will not tolerate it.”

“That’s great because I wasn’t in a fight.” _Still not fucking listening._ “Emma showed up ready to defend Spencer no matter what.” Ashley spat. “You showed up ready to yell at me.”

Regina clenched her teeth and the vein near her temple jumped. “Kathryn had called me and said you had been in a fight. What did you expect me to do?”

“Maybe hear me out!” Ashley yelled. “Maybe hear what I had to say! Fuck even Spencer thought it was complete bullshit how much that place has it in for me!”

“Has it in for you? Please, Ashley.” Regina was clearly trying to control the volume of her voice. “They’ve got three years of incidents that you actually _were_ responsible for. No one has it in for you, you bring this all on yourself.”

_And there it is. My fault._ “Great talk. Thanks _aunt Regina_.” Ashley turned her back. “Just in case you needed a reminder that you’re not my mother.”

“I am the closet thing you have!”

“ _No you’re not!_ ” Ashley whirled with a scream. “I have a mother! And a father!”

“And where are they? Where are they Ashley?” Regina’s words cut like knives and tears welled in Ashley’s eyes. “They’re not here to tell you that drinking underage is unacceptable. They’re not here to tell you that you can’t stay out all night and do whatever the hell you want. They can’t care about you because they’re not here.” Regina turned her back and braced her hands against the counter. Ashley was glad because it meant she couldn’t see the tear tracks streaming down her cheeks. 

_They can’t care about you because they’re not here._

“Something has to give, Ashley, and I just don’t know what it is.”

_They can’t care about you._

“I don’t know what you want from me, Ashley.” But the younger brunette was already walking away from the kitchen without another word. She didn’t even notice when Henry greeted her excitedly from his bedroom. His face fell when she walked by blankly.

_They can’t care about you._

Her bedroom door shut with a bang and she flopped bonelessly down onto her bed.

_They can’t care about you._

Her hand fished under the mattress and closed around a bottle of hers, and her fathers, favourite; Jack Daniels. She unscrewed the top and settled down. Her iPod was fished out of her back pocket and she set the music blaring in her ears. It didn’t help get the words out.

_They don’t care about you._

**

Spencer did another slow circuit of her bedroom. There wasn’t that much in it; just her bed and a single nightstand, her dresser and a stand-up mirror. Even so, Spencer walked the perimeter and the empty spaces of her bedroom repeatedly. Soon, she would be able to completely negotiate her bedroom with her eyes closed. Given a few more days, she and her sister would be able to walk the entire house blindfolded. 

_“Emma.” Spencer whined. “Why are we doing this?” She just wanted to curl up somewhere safe and have Emma read to her._

_“This is important, kiddo. Again.” Spencer dutifully shut her eyes and took three steps, turned and stubbed her toe on the edge of the bed._

_“Em-ma!” Embarrassingly Spencer felt tears in her eyes and Emma scooped her up and hitched her on her hip even though she wasn’t a baby anymore._

_“Shush now, you’re okay, munchkin.” Emma stroked her back gently. “This is why we practice. We do it so much that soon we don’t have to think about it. That’s called muscle memory. Okay?”_

_Spencer forced herself to stop sniffling; Emma never cried. Even when Mr. Hanson had hit her with the belt she’d never cried. Emma was tough. And Spencer wanted to be tough just like her. “I still think this is silly.”_

_“Oh yeah?” Emma bounced her on her hip and then spun around quickly. Spencer giggled and when Emma stopped she clamped her hand over Spencer’s eyes so she couldn’t see. “What’s the best escape from this bedroom?”_

_“The window!” Spencer loved when she knew the answers to Emma’s questions. Emma was so much older and so smart and it made Spencer feel special._

_“And which way is the window?”_

_Spencer stuck her tongue out as she thought but the room was all spiny and she couldn’t see. “That way.” Emma removed her hand and Spencer saw she was pointing somewhere towards the closet. She sighed deeply and Emma stroked her back before setting her down._

_“Again.”_

Spencer had learned soon that Emma was right, _always right_ , and she had gone about the routine without prompting ever since. She did a few more circuits of the room and then walked it with her eyes closed. She spun herself around several times and when she stopped she didn’t open her eyes. She was so confident of her placement in the room that she threw a full speed punch at the mirror; nothing happened. She uncurled her fist and stroked the smooth surface with her fingertips; it had been only an inch away. 

_“No, not a punch.” Emma shook out her fist until it flopped open._

_“Why not?” Spencer pouted. “I’ve seen you throw a punch.”_

_“Yes you have, kiddo.” Emma stroked her back and then tucked her blonde hair behind her ears lovingly. “But I’m bigger and stronger than you. You won’t hurt someone if you tried to throw a punch right now.” Spencer felt her lower lip trembling and Emma flicked it. “But you are not defenceless. Do you hear me? You are not defenceless. You just have to use this little body to your advantage.”_

_“How do I do that?”_

_“First, you bite.” Emma touched her jaw lightly. “Your bite is just as hard as mine. Anything that,” Emma cleared her throat and shook her head, “anything that you can get your teeth into you bite and bite hard and don’t let go. Got it?”_

_“I got it.”_

_“And you know how I won’t let you bite your nails but I keep ‘em clipped short?”_

_“Yeah.” Spencer looked down at the pink nails she had begged Emma to paint. They had had no polish, of course, but Emma had come home from school with nail polish just the next day._

_“It’s because now these nails are sharp and strong. They won’t break and they can do damage.”_

_“And I try and scratch anything?”_

_“Yes. But if you can, you go for the eyes. Okay? Everyone’s eyes are very sensitive and if you have to you claw them out.”_

_Spencer scrunched up her face but nodded seriously at Emma. “I understand.”_

_“Do you?”_

_Spencer nodded vigorously. She knew how serious all the things that Emma taught her were now._

_“Good. And lastly.” Emma reached out and slapped her thigh gently. “You never stop kicking. You hear me? You kick and kick and don’t stop and when you finally get free you start running and you run and run and run and don’t stop.”_

_“What about if I get lost?”_

_“It doesn’t matter. You run and don’t stop. You just keep running.” Emma put her fingers under Spencer’s chin and made sure the little blonde was looking right into the teenagers eyes. “You never stop. And it doesn’t matter where you run to because I’ll find you. You hear me? I will always find you.”_

Spencer stretched out her neck and arms and she began her nightly yoga. She did her cardio and her calisthenics in the morning and sparred with Emma in the evening while she did her yoga before bed. She knew most people did their yoga in the morning but she needed the peace and calmness more before she tried to sleep.

She stretched out her muscles and eased into the first position. She would never be so foolish as to pull a muscle trying a complicated yoga pose cold. Her muscles all slowly loosened and Spencer held her body aloft easily without any shake in her muscles. She smiled as she had Emma to thank for that too.

_“Five. Good.”_

_Spencer pulled her body upwards again._

_“Four. Keep going.”_

_She was upside down but because Emma wouldn’t let her pause for very long she barely noticed it._

_“Three. You’re a rock star, kiddo. Almost done.”_

_Spencer used her stomach muscles, what Emma playfully called her “baby abs”, and pulled herself up again._

_“Two. That’s it, you got this.”_

_Spencer’s feet were crossed around the back of Emma’s neck and the teenager was holding her legs in place against her own chest. When Spencer was completely down her entire back rested along the length of Emma’s front; just upside down. Emma was getting her to use her stomach muscles and pull herself upward without her hands so that she was up and looking Emma in the eye._

_“One. Last one come on.”_

_Spencer grinned and when she made the final sit-up she stuck her tongue out at Emma and the older blonde laughed. She pretended to drop her and Spencer squealed. Emma changed her grip so she was just holding Spencer’s ankles and using her arm strength to hold Spencer upside down in the air. “Em-ma! Put me down!” Spencer hollered while upside down. Her stomach hurt just a tiny bit but it was a different kind of hurt than when she felt sick._

_“You want down huh?” Emma eased her slowly down so that the top of her head rested on the ground._

_“Em-ma!”_

_The teenager finally put her down gently and Spence ended up laying on her back. “Your stomach hurt?”_

_“Nuh uh.”_

_“Good. You know why I’m making you do this?”_

_“Nuh uh.”_

_Emma chuckled. “It’s because right now you’re thin. There’s no fat on this little body.” Emma reached out and tickled her for a moment and Spencer squealed. “And you want to grow up big and strong right?” Emma playfully flexed her biceps and showed Spencer the muscle. Spencer playfully grabbed for her arms but she avoided looking at the burn scars on the arm she was grabbing because she knew that made Emma sad._

_“Yeah!” She flopped back down onto her back._

_“Well the easiest time to gain muscle is when you’re thin. Then you don’t have any fat to burn off. And it’s also easiest to get muscles when you’re young and keep them forever than trying to get muscles when you’re older. So we’re getting you muscles now, okay, kiddo?”_

_“Yup!”_

_“Good. Then let’s finish off your tummy and your baby abs. Plank position!” Emma called it out like a drill instructor and Spencer rolled over onto her stomach and placed her forearms on the ground in front of her like Emma had taught her. She noticed the teen was beside her in the same position. “Good. Now up.” Spencer brought her lower body off the carpet and made sure she was up on her toes. She knew Emma would poke her in the ribs if her shoulders, back, butt and legs didn’t make a straight line. “Hold. Good. Don’t hold your breath.” Spencer, who had forgotten that bit, exhaled sharply. “Holding. Good. Another few seconds.” Spencer didn’t know if it was better to stare down at the dirty, beige carpet or close her eyes. She wondered which one Emma did. “Good. And down.”_

_Spencer flopped down onto her stomach and let out a “whew”. “What are we doing after this?”_

_“Stretches. Workout’s always end and start with stretches. And you can’t work out every muscle every day. Like tomorrow is leg day.” Emma grinned. “Very important never to forget about leg day.”_

_Spencer knew there was a joke in there she wasn’t getting so she just shrugged. “Okay.”_

_“Good. Last time. Ready? And up.”_

Spencer had been fifteen years old when she finally held a plank longer than Emma. Her sister’s stomach was pretty ripped and her core incredibly strong, so she still didn’t know if Emma had let her win or if she had just been having an off day. Either way winning that had let her pick the takeout orders for a week and she had delighted in picking food she knew Emma hated. By the Thursday Emma had been living off peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Finally finished with her yoga Spencer changed and began her nightly routine. She washed her face and used lotion tinted with sunscreen all over her body. Emma had teased her mercilessly for leaving both California, and later Texas, without any hint of a tan. Emma on the other hand had left Odessa so thoroughly tanned she had looked Mexican. Somewhere along their slow journey east Emma’s tan had faded enough that she at least didn’t look a different skin tone than her sister. The only part of Emma that didn’t tan was her hands. She faithfully, and somewhat obsessively, sun-screened her sleeves of tattoos so that the ink and the colours never faded. 

When Spencer left the bathroom Emma was waiting for it and her older sister kissed her on the forehead as she said goodnight. Spencer never felt like a child when Emma did that; it was that kind of instinctive, loving gesture that made Spencer feel warm. Emma had saved her life, countless times over and in a hundred different ways. Being loved unconditionally made everything worth it. 

Emma waved Spencer off and began her own routine. “G’night kiddo.”

“Night Ems.” 

_“G’night, kiddo.”_

_“Night Ems.” Spencer tried to settle down tucked between Emma and the wall. “Ems?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Nothing’s gonna happen, right?”_

_“Nothing. That’s why I’m here. I promise.”_

Spencer hadn’t known at the time that Emma would almost give her life keeping that promise.

**

Regina had given up on wine several hours ago and was now drinking her second glass of homemade cider. She didn’t usually indulge like this but her fight with Ashley had both upset and infuriated her. She didn’t _enjoy_ fighting with Ashley but nothing she had ever tried in the last three years had worked. Kathryn had actually called her into a sit-down meeting three weeks ago and said that if Ashley was anybody else’s that she would have already been expelled for repeat truancy and incomplete homework. Regina had been both grateful at Kathryn for Ashley’s sake and deeply upset that she was reaping the benefits of such nepotism.

At first Regina had tried explaining and asking. Then she took away privileges and allowances. She finally started grounding her. It was around the time that Ashley started sneaking out while grounded that Regina realized there was little she could actually do. The first time that Ashley hadn’t come home Regina had been utterly frantic. She had alerted Graham and while he searched the town Regina had called practically every parent with a child in Ashley’s high school. It had burned and shamed her to call her citizens and admit she didn’t know where Ashley was but she had put aside her pride because she’d been terrified. When Graham called to say that he had found her niece Regina had sobbed. She’d pulled herself together and driven to the station to collect her wayward niece only to discover that Graham had found her and some of her friends behind the cannery completely intoxicated.

Regina had felt bile rise in her throat. While she was pacing the living room by the phone praying to God that Ashley hadn’t crashed her car and wasn’t laying in a ditch somewhere she’d actually just snuck out to get drunk. 

That was about when the screaming matches started. Ashley was defiant enough to start yelling and Regina’s temper, and her fear, usually led her to yelling back. _God, Ashley is too much like both of us. Too much like me and too much like_ you _._

Regina was currently scowling at a picture in her living room. She kept it hung only for Ashley’s benefit. If it was up to Regina she wouldn’t keep any of these pictures let alone hang one in her home. It was tucked into an out of the way alcove but Regina had caught Ashley staring at it more than once. 

The brunette looked at her younger self. Her hair was longer and her smile more innocent. She was fourteen and didn’t know yet what would become of her life and the life of the person standing next to her. Her arm was linked with a slightly taller redhead; her older sister. Zelena’s smile was already filled with mischief, as it always had been, but the loathing and disgust wasn’t yet in her eyes. She was laughing and the camera had caught a rare, happy moment between the sisters. 

“This is all your fault.” Regina pointed an angry finger at the picture. Regina remembered the day well. Zelena had already been with _him_ by that point. Jefferson Davies was the bad boy of Storybrooke and Zelena had fallen completely head over heels for his charm and his wild side. Regina’s memories of him in school were vague, because he was four years older than her and three older than Zelena, but she had heard countless stories of him. He hung around Storybrooke after he didn’t graduate. Regina didn’t really know where he went but rumour had it he was living in the woods. He found some other delinquents from Portland to live with him and the group started a band. 

Zelena had loved him completely; that was the one fact that Regina never questioned. For if she didn’t love him completely she wouldn’t have thrown her life away for him. Zelena had been so intelligent and everything she tried came so easily to her. In science class in particular Zelena Mills could almost make magic happen. And yet when she graduated she had done nothing and gone nowhere. Instead, she moved into the woods to live with Jefferson. 

Regina remembered Zelena trying to justify her decision to stay in town and support Jefferson and the conversation still made her sick.

_“You just don’t understand because you’ve never felt it before, sis, but I love him.”_

_“Then love him! Don’t throw your life away. You had college acceptances everywhere.”_

_“Who cares about that?” Zelena threw her bright red hair over her shoulder. “I can go to college any time but Jefferson’s time is now. Gina, you haven’t heard his music.” Zelena got a dreamy, adoring expression on her face that almost made Regina gag. “He does something that is so special, his music means so much. He really goes on a journey when he plays, Gina. He goes somewhere else and all his listeners have no choice but to go along with him.”_

_Regina wasn’t moved. “That other place is called an acid trip and I’m surprised he can even play an instrument while so high.”_

_“Oh Gina, don’t be such a prude. Drugs are a part of that life that’s just a fact.”_

_Regina’s face dropped. “Are you kidding me? I was joking because of the stupid blank look on his face but he’s actually doing drugs? Lena! That is not okay!”_

_Zelena stepped forward threateningly. “You might be mother’s favourite now Regina, but don’t you dare think of tattling on us. So what if we want to have some fun. You don’t realize it living in this mansion with her but I had never had fun in my life until I met Jefferson.”_

_Regina felt like she’d been slapped in the face and she instinctively tried to hurt her sister back. “That worthless drug addict will never make it big with his so called music, and he’s just going to pull you down his disgusting rabbit hole with him.”_

Regina, as it turns out, had only been half correct. Jefferson had indeed pulled Zelena down the rabbit hole with him and Zelena never climbed back out of it. But Jefferson actually _had_ made it big with his music. Jefferson Davies and the Mad Hatters became famous; they were known as a psychedelic grunge group and they were in the tabloids for their antics and their arrests just as much as they were for their music. 

The brunette hated seeing pictures of Jefferson and Zelena in trashy magazines and celebrity news channels. It killed her to see her intelligent, beautiful sister fall so far and she never, ever, forgave Jefferson for it. 

Regina hadn’t spoken directly to Jefferson in over five years, and it had been about five years before that one time as well. It had been almost three since she’d spoken to her sister. She knew that Ashley spoke to her mother _maybe_ four times a year and that was only for short, very brief phone calls that usually left Ashley despondent as opposed to elated. Regina had no idea when the last time Ashley actually spoke to her father was. When she had to hear Ashley sadly exclaim “well tell Dad I love him and miss him” into the phone every time it made Regina, if possible, hate Jefferson even more. When Ashley played gut-wrenching and heartbreakingly sad renditions of the Mad Hatters music it made Regina want to weep. 

She never thought she could hate her sister but sometimes she truly did. When she looked at Ashley she didn’t see half of Zelena and half Jefferson. Jefferson didn’t deserve Ashley as a daughter. Really, neither did Zelena but the resemblance to the redhead was unmistakable. Instead when she looked at Ashley Regina saw half of Zelena and half of _herself._

Her hair was a perfect blend of Regina’s own dark brunette and Zelena’s bright red. Her stature was Regina’s and her mischievous charm was all Zelena. Her fire and passion, as well as her temper, was both of them. 

Regina realized she had tear tracks streaking down her cheeks and she fought to compose herself. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to her that she saw so much of herself in Ashley. She had raised Ashley now for longer than Zelena ever had and Ashley was more hers than she had ever been Zelena’s. 

“This is your fault.” She hissed again at the red-head in the picture. “You did this.” She drained the last of her cider and slammed the glass down. “You did this.” If it wasn’t for Ashley she would have thrown the glass into the picture. If it wouldn’t have hurt Ashley she never would have allowed it in her home for another second. “You did this.”

_You did this to my daughter._


	3. Sell Me a Drink or Three

Emma awoke to her cell phone light blinking at her repeatedly and she forced her eyes to remain open and read the e-mail. When she noticed it was from Amherst, and the first contact from her boss, she groaned but dutifully got out of bed. She only scanned the subject heading: Bail Jumper. _All the info I need._

She was quiet as she moved to the house’s one bathroom because Spence was still sleeping. Both blondes were notoriously early risers, and even more so light sleepers, but this was too early even for Spence. 

Emma allowed herself only a quick, cold shower to shock her system into gear and then she was throwing clothes on and heading for the door. She left a note on the counter for Spencer and she was off for Old Yeller. The car didn’t go very far because Emma needed coffee; anything else could wait. She was a little surprised to find Granny’s even open at quarter to six but the door was unlocked and she found Ruby already behind the counter. 

“Mornin’, Emma.” The brunette was already reaching for the coffee pot. “To-go or for here?”

“One of each.” Emma smirked. “I don’t really trust myself driving far until I’ve had at least one.” Ruby was dressed in skin tight red leather pants and a black blouse that would have been modest if it had been completely done up. The bottom edges were tied together in a knot at her ribcage and several buttons at the top had been missed. 

“You got it. You always up this absurdly early?” 

“Depends on work.” Emma shrugged and took a large gulp of her beverage as soon as Ruby passed it over. She explained the nature of her work to Ruby and the small-town waitress looked fascinated. 

“That’s incredible.” She gushed. She leaned over the counter and Emma tried not to look down her top; this early in the morning and with this beautiful of a woman it took all the concentration she had. “So you like go chasing bad guys for real.”

“Well, the court has to decide if they’re bad, legally. Just because you’ve been arrested for something doesn’t mean you did it, and when you’re out on bail you haven’t been convicted yet. Although, yeah, skipping out on your bail and your court appearances doesn’t look good.” Emma shrugged. “I have brought bail jumpers back to court and then eventually they were found innocent of the initial charge though.”

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t get it, if they were innocent why did they run?”

“Why do people do anything?” Emma challenged. “Maybe they didn’t want to deal with court. Maybe they didn’t want to pay. Maybe their father in Fort Lauderdale was sick and they went down to see him.” She shrugged again. “Maybe they really were a piece of shit and they were only eventually found innocent on a technicality.”

“Maybe they really just forgot?”

“Now you got it. Sometimes you never know. It’s not my job to know. Just my job to find them.”

“That’s so cool. Does it take you days sometimes?”

“Days is the standard. If I can find someone in days that’s a job well done. I’ve been weeks before.” She smirked. “And I’m one of the best.”

Ruby smiled back a little flirtatiously. “I bet you are.” She tilted her head as she considered something. “What about Spencer when you’re gone?”

“Spencer isn’t a child. And we have rules and an agreement in place.” Emma’s voice was serious. “Spence is the best kid anyone could ask for. She’s never let me down.”

“It’s nice to see you guys so close.”

“The closest. Hey, does the drug store or the grocery store here sell hair dye?”

Ruby smiled wide. “Not blue they don’t. You’ll need a bigger town than this.”

“Want me to pick up a red bottle while I’m doing it?”

“Trade you for a day of free coffee.”

“Deal. I’ll take that to-go one now, if you don’t mind.” Emma slid the empty cup back just as the bell for the diner dinged. Ruby called over her shoulder without even looking.

“I’ll get your breakfast going in one sec, Graham.” 

“No worries at all.” Emma heard the Irish accent and purposefully didn’t turn on her stool to look at him until he spoke directly to her. “Ms. Swan. This is very early for breakfast.” 

Emma heard the question but ignored it. “Most important meal of the day, you know.” She gave a fake smile instead. 

“So they say.”

The blonde tried to get a read on him and took a gamble. “My boss was surprised to have a Sheriff call and ask around about me. Doesn’t exactly send a good message.” In fact Emma didn't know that he'd call her place of employment but it seemed like an obvious thing to check if he was looking into her.

Graham was a half-way decent liar but Emma had dealt with some of the best liars when she was still a child; no one ever fooled her now. The way his mouth tightened slightly and his feet automatically shifted might as well have sent off an alarm to her. All she wondered now is if he would deny it or not. 

“It’s common practice to look into newcomers.” He shrugged his shoulders and gave her that sheepish, boyish grin again. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Right. And what gave you probable cause to look into me like that?” She felt more than saw Ruby slide her coffee over and she pulled her wallet out of her inside jacket pocket to give her a ten dollar bill. “Have a good rest of your morning Ruby. Get that hair dye to ya tonight?”

“Sure thing, Ems.” The blonde walked passed the Sheriff without another word. She didn’t mean to antagonize the Sheriff of the town she was now living in but she didn’t let people push her around or invade her privacy. Unfortunately, she suspected Graham was only a pawn. Someone else in town wanted to know about her and she had her suspicions about who it was.

And that made her want to know a little bit more about the so called Evil Queen.

An hour later found Emma sitting in a coffee shop basically located on top of the Kennebec River. As a rule she never worked in the place she was actually living and it was all done on the road. She pulled out her laptop and read the e-mail and file from Amherst in its entirety. The bail jumper’s name was Rusty Roof and Emma reread it twice to make sure she hadn’t misinterpreted it. She laughed aloud, and turned a few heads out on the patio, when she saw he’d been arrested for professional motor vehicle theft and possession of stolen goods. Emma knew “court-speak” well enough to know that Mr. Roof had run a chop shop. The total value of goods found in the possession of Mr. Roof had been $983,000 and his bail had been set at $500,000. His long-time girlfriend, Vanessa Churbank, had been unable to pay off-hand and with no mortgage to offer she had turned to Amherst Bail Bonds Inc. to offer the money to get her boyfriend out. Yesterday had been Mr. Roof’s first appearance in court and he had been a no-show. This violation, as persons out on bail are required to make all court appearances, put him in violation of his conditions with Amherst and got him labelled as a bail jumper. 

Emma ordered another coffee and pulled up Google maps on her computer. His appearance in court, that he had not made, was for the United States District Court for Maine and was located in Portland. The address listed as his permanent address was just north of Portland in Lewiston. The address of his auto-body shop was in Lewiston as well. Emma considered the map with a critical eye. Bail jumpers did one of two things; they ran or they hid. If he ran Emma suspected he’d go west. Lewiston and Portland were already near the west border of Maine and New Hampshire and she highly doubted he’d travel all across the state east when the only place left to go that direction was Canada. If he was hiding instead, Emma usually found her marks within a ten mile radius of their home or at the home of a family member. 

The blonde spent another hour at the coffee shop doing all the beginning leg work for her case. She had every credit card Rusty and Vanessa had on file and they were all flagged and just waiting for use. She had researched all of the family members for the couple and had the locations of their relatives. She was pleased when they were all located in Maine. She was currently running a property records search to see if Rusty, Vanessa, or any of the family members had other properties in their name, when the vibrate from her pants pocket caught her attention. 

“Spence, hey.” 

“Hey sis. How’s your case going?”

“Fine, just started. High school drop-out with a penchant for cars. Long-time girlfriend he wouldn’t leave behind either. Shouldn’t be too hard to track down.” Emma grinned into the phone. “Are you already worried about the party tonight?” Her sister huffed in her ear.

“Screw you, no. Forgive me for thinking I should check in on my way out the door.” Spencer laughed. “Don’t worry about coming home just to help me get ready if you’re in the middle of something.”

“Hey now. I said I would help you get ready for the party and I will.” Emma hesitated before continuing. “Hey, kiddo?”

“What?”

“We don’t keep secrets so I’m going to tell you something. But only parts of it are mine to tell.”

“Okay?”

“I ran into Ashley yesterday.” There was a long silence on the phone. “Spence?”

“I’m here.” 

“We got to talking and I suggested that Ashley keep an eye on you at this party tonight.”

Predictably, Spencer exploded. “What? Why would you do that? So now I need a goddamn babysitter?”

“Spencer. If I thought you needed a babysitter do you really think I would have asked Ashley Davies? I wanted to make sure you have some fun in your life.”

“Well Ashley’s version of fun is getting so drunk she’s still intoxicated and reeking like whiskey the next morning. Sounds like so much fun.”

Emma sighed. “I can’t explain Spence, I just think maybe you’ll be good for each other, okay? Maybe she can bring you up a little bit and you can bring her down.” 

“So I’m the fun sucker, is that it?”

“Spencer. Do not put words in my mouth.” Her voice was a tad more serious. “I think you have it pretty easy with me Spencer, and I’m just always looking out for you. If at the party you don’t want to hang around her then don’t. If you see her doing something you want no part of then leave. And I’ll admit I was wrong.”

“You will be.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think Ashley will let me down.”

Now Spencer sighed. “That must have been one hell of a conversation.”

“It was.” Emma admitted. “Just think about it, okay? You and I don’t have the monopoly on pain and it sounds like maybe Ashley is hurting too.”

“Maybe.” But Emma could tell by the sound of Spencer’s voice that she was staring to sway her. “I’ll see.”

“That’s all I ask. I’ll be home later. I just have a few errands to run after this too.”

“Not about the case?”

“No. About an Evil Queen.”

**

Regina had told her secretary to hold all her calls and she was using a rare free hour in her schedule for research that had nothing to do with the town; it had to do with Ashley. Regina would be embarrassed if anyone had ever checked her search history, or seen the books she had bought on the sly in Portland, about how to parent with rebellious, out of control teenagers. 

She was becoming more and frustrated when the advice from professionals was all tips and tricks she had tried herself over the years. She read countless pages about “holding ones ground” and not giving in to their teenager’s demands and orders. Regina hadn’t allowed Ashley to _demand_ anything, ever. Ashley was taught the same as Henry; that one asks for things and doesn’t demand them. Regina rolled her eyes at the pages that spoke to tough love. She skipped over the paragraphs about hard tough love was to execute but why it was sometimes necessary for the teenager. Regina already knew about how hard tough love was. The second time Graham had gotten involved and had to actually arrest Ashley and four other drunk, unruly teenagers Regina had left Ashley in holding overnight. It had barely seemed like a punishment to Regina; Ashley had passed out in her cell within moments and slept straight through to the next morning when Regina was there at 8a.m. to pick her up; but Ashley had been livid. She still held it against Regina and would bring it up in arguments when she had nothing left to throw Regina’s way. Ashley didn’t know that, while she slept it off, Regina hadn’t slept that night at all. How could she when Ashley was in jail and clearly going down a dark path and she could seemingly do nothing to stop it? 

She clicked to another website that focused more on teenagers with alcohol and drug problems. She _hated_ to think that Ashley had an actual problem. As painful as it was she preferred to think that Ashley was just drinking to have fun and spite her. 

And then she found the checklist. _Does your teen drink more than twice a week? Does your teen drink on weekdays as well as weeknights? Does your teen ever drink alone? Does your teen ever drink enough to pass out/black out? Has your teen ever been hospitalized?_

Regina’s hands shook at the last question and the only one she hadn’t answered yes to. She continued to read through the article. It suggested regular searches of the teenager’s bedroom for drugs and alcohol and Regina balked. Sure, when Ashley came home visibly intoxicated Regina demanded any booze from her bag or purse. But she’d taught her children, _her son and her niece_ , respecting other people and their property. She couldn’t imagine sneaking around in Ashley’s personal things searching for alcohol. But then, she couldn’t imagine doing nothing if Ashley had hidden bottles of booze around her bedroom either. 

The article continued to a place that Regina never even wanted to think about let alone actually consider. _“Cortagen, Maine’s drug addiction rehabilitation centre located in Rockland, Maine, provides a residential treatment program for youth 13 to 18. Within the therapeutic community environment, residents deal with the root causes of their drug addiction problems and learn how to better function in their everyday lives.”_

Regina’s hands froze on her laptop. _Ashley does not need rehab. She’s just a rebellious teenager._ But she couldn’t stop herself from scrolling through the website further. _“The on-site schooling, tailored to individual needs, helps them learn to succeed in school. The supportive community of people who have been through similar struggles helps them to develop the self-esteem and social competencies necessary to build the confidence that they too can live healthy, happy, and productive lives.”_

_No. I do not need to send her away to a rehabilitation camp._ The website showed pictures and videos of the centre and the services provided there. At the bottom was a picture of a teenage girl. She didn’t really look like Ashley but Regina could see the resemblance in the defiant clenched jaw and the mischief in her eyes. 

She clicked on the link to “Suzy’s Story”: _“LSD and alcohol – the drugs of choice for a 14-year old girl who feels that her life does not have purpose and that no one cares about her. Suzy describes her rock bottom as an “Existential Crisis” – a feeling that her life didn’t matter – which meant she began to care less and less about herself. Suzy turned to drugs as a way to create a new world for herself, free from life’s challenges and pain. Marijuana and alcohol at first offered that escape – often smoking and drinking alone. As time went on, the numbing high became harder to find, so more mind altering drugs were needed to maintain her false reality.”_

Regina didn’t notice her hands were shaking. She read further about the girl until she reached the paragraph where the young woman spoke about her relationship with her parents. _“I truly thought they were done with me. We fought all the time. I stopped coming home eventually. It was only once I reached Cortagen that the councillors and teachers helped me reach out to my family. I developed a new relationship with them and discovered that my parents hadn’t abandoned me at all. I didn’t see at the time that the things they were doing were really for my benefit- but I can see it now. It wasn’t until I was in a hospital I got that they had seen earlier than I had that I was killing myself slowly.”_

_No. This is not Ashley._ Regina slammed her laptop closed and reached her for her purse. She swept from her office with barely a glance at her secretary to rearrange her day and that she’d be back in an hour. She was in the Benz in and driving for home in minutes. _This is ridiculous. She’s challenging and disruptive and rebellious but that was not her._ She didn’t care what anyone else on Mifflin Street thought to see her driving home in the middle of the day. She practically slammed her car into the driveway and stalked for the front door. 

She didn’t drop her purse or get out of her heels. In her mind after this she was turning right around and heading back for the office. Ashley’s bedroom was the furthest from hers and, even though it was the middle of the day and Ashley should definitely still be at school, she knocked politely twice before opening the door. Ashley skipped school so often it wouldn’t be out of the realm completely to find Ashley asleep in her bed past noon. _She skips school, she’s a terrible student, that doesn’t mean she needs to be sent away._

Regina flicked the light on and though her eye twitched slightly at the mess she ignored it for once. Instead, with a grating sigh and silent apology, she began rifling through Ashley’s things. She checked her dresser drawers and her night stand. She tried to keep her eyes only looking for liquor bottles, _or God forbid a bag of marijuana_ , and ignored everything else. _She’s a social, popular girl. She parties with her friends and that’s it._

Regina almost had herself convinced until her hand closed around the neck of a bottle under Ashley’s mattress. She pulled out the bottle, noting the Jack Daniels label, and her jaw clenched together even as the pit in her stomach made her think she was going to be sick.

There was only a mouthful left in the bottle.

**

“Spencer! Hey!” Spencer spun around at the shout from down the hallway and found a sheepishly grinning Ashley slightly jogging towards her. It almost bothered Spencer that Ashley was unquestionably the most attractive person she’d ever seen. She was wearing a tight black band t-shirt that had the sleeves and the stomach ripped off. A silver stud with a diamond in it sparkled in her bellybutton. Her very short camo-coloured skirt was just long enough to cover everything important and her gold, sparkling high heeled shoes brought her even with Spencer’s height. “Uh, hey, Spence.” She repeated somewhat lamely when she was standing right in front of the blonde. Spencer was also bothered that she found Ashley’s uncharacteristic awkwardness adorable. “Hi, Chelsea.”

Spencer almost startled because she’d forgotten the quiet artist was beside her. “Hey, Ashley.” She smiled politely. “I’ll see you in class, Spencer.” The blonde was left with no choice to face Ashley alone.

“So, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot a little bit.” Ashley admitted and Spencer cocked on eyebrow. “Okay, so it’s my fault we got off on the wrong foot. My bad?” She smiled charmingly although Spencer could still see some of her actual nervousness in the way she fiddled with the bangles around her wrist. The brunette suddenly stood up straighter and gave a friendly smile. “Hi, you must be new here, I’m Ashley Davies.” She held out her hand for a formal shake and Spencer couldn’t hold in her laughter. “Okay, I’ll take it.” Ashley smirked. “Laughing at me is better than ignoring me. I think.”

“Hi Ashley,” Spencer gave in, “my name is Spencer Swan.” 

“Delighted to meet you.” The brunette adopted a faux, stereotypical gentleman from the 50’s persona and gave another charming smile.

“Charmed, I’m sure.” 

Ashley dropped the act and chuckled. Spencer wondered why the brunette was so nervous; this version of Ashley was a little bit adorable. “So, I hear you’re coming to the party tonight?” She shifted her weight and it drew attention to her high heeled shoes. _Who wears heels to class in Maine?_

“I am. And I hear you’re my babysitter.” Spencer sassed; Ashley floundered.

“Wait. What? No. Who said? I don’t know?”

“Relax, Ashley. Emma and I tell each other everything.” She tilted her head. “Although, telling me about your meeting with her is about the least she’s ever told me.”

Ashley looked suspicious now. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean Emma might be my guardian, but she’s also my best friend. We tell each other literally everything. No secrets. How do you think she knew about the party? She offered to help me pick out an outfit later.”

“And just what _are_ you going to wear?” Ashley’s lecherous smirk was back for a second. “Wait, so, she told you-” 

“Basically nothing. I swear. She said most of your meeting wasn’t her story to tell. She just said she thought I could use some fun or something like that. Seriously, it was weird. Eighteen years and this is the first time she hasn’t told me something.”

Spencer watched carefully and couldn’t decipher exactly what Ashley was feeling. The gratitude and the relief were obvious. She thought she might have even seen some respect for her sister; the shame and the anger she couldn’t figure out. “So…” she shuffled awkwardly again, “what does that mean?”

Spencer graced her with a smile. “It means you somehow got Emma Swan to think you’re good people.” Spencer didn’t hold back and told the truth. “And that makes me curious about you.”

Ashley’s smile was a little shy. “Yeah?” Spencer could barely even place this girl as the drunk, hungover letch from yesterday.

“Yeah.”

“So,” she drew the word out, “can I pick you up for the party?” She looked nervous again and Spencer wondered how often she asked a question she truly didn’t already know the answer to.

“Sorry-”

“No that’s fine, no big deal. I’ll see you there though, maybe.” Ashley was already turning on her heel to leave.

“No, wait.” Spencer smiled at the awkward teen trying to seem tough. “I just meant I’ve seen your car and it’s a two-seater. And I already told Chelsea she could come over and get ready for the party at my house so her parents don’t see.”

Ashley smiled a wide, genuine smile that made her nose crinkle and Spencer thought she’d never seen anything cuter. _Oh, fuck._

“In that case, it would be my absolute pleasure to come and pick you both up at your house to escort you to the party and I will drive an SUV to do it. I have to be there super early to help set up, which you do not have to help do obviously, so I’ll do that and then swing back around and pick you two up. Say, nine?”

“Sounds good. Thank you for driving us. Emma would have lent me her car but I actually haven’t heard yet where the party even is?”

Ashley gave a devilish smirk. “That’s because everyone knows better than to say those words aloud lest they deal with the wrath of Ashley Davies.” 

Spencer rolled her eyes. “Because you’re so terrifying?”

“Just wait and see, Swan.”

“Can’t wait, Davies.” The bell cut through their conversation and Spencer gestured behind her. “Better get going. So I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes you will.” Her confident smirk was back and Spencer left shaking her head and chuckling; she glanced behind her in time to catch the brunette fist pump in the air to herself.

_Too fucking cute._

**

For the first time in recent memory Ashley raced home after school. Her Porsche nearly squealed tires out of the parking lot and she was at Mifflin Street in two minutes. She had an insane amount of things to take care of tonight. She had been delivering instructions to Aiden like a drill instructor for the last hour of school and given him an ever increasing list of things to take care of. Aiden had merely smiled and nodded the entire time and Ashley was reminded again of how he was too good for her. 

She shut the front door behind her already planning her outfit. She had to look smoking hot tonight; more so than usual. But she couldn’t look like a slut either. Or that she was trying too hard. _What do I have that says all that?_

“Ashley.” 

She groaned at the call from her aunt. _And this day was looking so promising._ “What?”

“Can you come in the kitchen, please?”

Ashley stood in the doorway of the kitchen and crossed her arms. She didn’t like the look of her aunt sitting at the dining room table calmly; it looked like she had been waiting for her. “What? I’ve got a lot of things to do tonight.”

“Will you sit down? I just want to talk to you.”

Ashley snorted. “Talk, or yell at me for something even if it isn’t my fault?”

Regina sighed audibly. “Just talk, Ashley. Please.”

The younger brunette sensed the trap but slowly walked forward anyway. “What about?”

“What are you doing tonight?”

“The basketball team is having a pick-up game down at the court.” The lie left Ashley’s lips without hesitation. “They’re kind of making a party out of it. We’re bring pop and chips and going to have an outdoor game shindig kinda thing.”

“A party with alcohol?”

“No.” 

Regina sighed. “Why do you bother lying to me, Ashley?”

Ashley grit her teeth. _I don’t have time for this._ “Great talk. Can’t wait for the next one.” She went to leave the kitchen.

“I was asking an honest question, Ashley.” Regina’s voice was tense and Ashley could hear that this was different. “You and I both know you’re drinking tonight so why do you even bother lying to my face about it?”

“You don’t want me to lie?” Ashley had to admit this tactic of her aunt’s was new; normally she’d be yelling by now. “Fine, we might sneak a few beers while we’re down at the court. I lie because it’s such a big deal to you and you freak out on me every single time.”

“Ashley.” Regina rubbed her temples like a headache was already pounding at her skull; Ashley was starting to get one too. “A few beers does not make you fall down drunk. It does not make you pass out for almost twelve hours. It doesn’t black you out or make you violently ill.” Her aunt looked up and brown eyes eerily identical to her own met her defiant stare. “Jack Daniels does that.”

A cold sweat broke out over Ashley. A tingling of fear crept up her spine and anger flooded her system. _She wouldn’t._ “What is that supposed to mean?” The words were spat. 

“You know what that means Ashley. Partying with your friends is bad enough. But hiding alcohol in your room and sneaking drinks by yourself speaks to a much more serious problem.”

Ashley’s hands were shaking. _She searched my room._ The words repeated several times. _She searched my room. Oh my god, my lyrics. Did she read everything? Some of those songs she_ cannot _read!_ Ashley turned her fear into anger and exploded. “You had no right to search my room!” 

Regina’s voice was even but strained. “This is my house, Ashley. And I can do anything I want in it. And while you live here under my roof you will follow my rules.”

“Then kick me out!” Ashley spat over her shoulder. She left the kitchen and headed for the stairs as fast as she could in her heels. 

“That is not what I said!” Regina finally yelled back. Ashley could hear her aunt following her upstairs. She slammed her bedroom door closed and looked around frantically. Her notebooks and lyrics were everywhere. Everything on her desk, at the minimum, looked shifted around but that didn’t mean Regina had taken the time to read every song. “Ashley.” Regina was clearly standing right outside the door. “I meant it when I said I just wanted to talk. I think you have a problem and I want to help.”

Ashley let out a bark of laughter. “I’m not a fucking alcoholic.” She was rooting through her closet now. 

“Then I think you’re heading down the path to becoming one.” Ashley picked an outfit quickly and seethed because she had been looking forward to getting ready for this party so much. 

“I have fun with my friends.” Ashley snarled at Regina outside the door. “Not that you would know what fun even was.”

“Ashley we’re not talking about fun.” Ashley could picture Regina’s clenched jaw and angry eyes. “We’re talking about you and illegal, dangerous behaviour. Ashley.” The younger brunette actually stilled her frantic packing because her aunt’s voice sounded so defeated. “I’m worried about you.” 

Ashley opened her bedroom door and for one second Regina looked hopeful. Then her eyes clocked the bag slung across her body and the backpack in her hand. 

“Ashley. Don’t leave.” She heard the slight hitch in Regina’s voice and it just annoyed her. _Why act so much like the caring guardian now?_

She sighed. “I’m not leaving I’m just going to get ready at Madison’s. I’ll see you later.” She went to leave and Regina blocked her path.

“Ashley. You don’t do your homework. You skip school. You’re rude and belligerent. You’re underage and you drink serious alcohol to the point of intoxication. You also hide bottles in your room and drink alone which are serious signs of alcoholism. What would you do if you were me?”

Her words made Ashley squirm; she put on her armour of indifference. “What hippy parenting book about reverse psychology bullshit did you pull that one from?” She brushed past Regina and headed for the stairs. 

“Things cannot continue this way Ashley. You know Kathryn is talking about expulsion? Or at the very least holding you back a grade? What would you do then? Hmm?”

“Kathryn wouldn’t do that to you.” Ashley scoffed.

“I’ll tell her to.” Regina threatened and Ashley stopped cold. “If I see no improvement in you I will.”

Ashley rounded on her. “You wouldn’t dare. Your reputation in this town as evil queen fucking bee is all that matters to you. You wouldn’t want to be known as a failure as a parent.”

“Well I’m not living in the woods and dropping acid so I’m doing better than some.”

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about my father.” Ashley snarled. “He told me you always hated him you know.”

Regina dared to scoff in her face. “Of course I did. He convinced my sister to not go to college, throw away her life and gave her a drug habit.”

“Don’t fucking talk about them like that!” Ashley screamed. “You don’t know anything about them!”

“Neither do you.” Regina snarled. “I mean it Ashley. I am done. I am doing this for you. But things are going to change around here.” She took a deep breath like she’d been holding her breath. 

“Or else what?” Ashley spat. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the house and Regina let her go. _She always fucking brings them up. She always talks down about them. She never understands. She’s never tried to understand._ Ashley slammed the door of her Porsche and noticed her hands were shaking. 

_“And I don’t understand_  
_All the reasons why_  
_You wanna destroy_  
_Everything when it’s all going fine_  
_I don’t want to fight_  
_Just give it to me_  
_Can’t you see what you’re doing to me?_  
_Just give it, give it to me”_

Ashley pulled out her phone so she could open a memo notepad and write the lyrics down as they came to her.

_“And I don’t understand_  
_What you’re hoping for_  
_I don’t understand why_  
_You can't just let it be_  
_Time will burn all our memories”_

She glanced in the mirror and saw Regina with the front door open so she threw her phone down on the passenger seat and deliberately sped out of the driveway. 

**

Emma had decided to come back to town because she was waiting for responses and results on a few different avenues of investigation regarding her bail jumper and she might as well wait in her own town. If she was being honest with herself she also couldn’t get Mayor Mills out of her mind. She’d only seen her once but the woman had made an impression. Normally, Emma wouldn’t notice anything except Spencer in a moment such as that. And until she had known that Spencer would be okay, she hadn’t. She hadn’t even noticed her as she stood up to the high school principal. But once Spencer was alright and Emma knew the situation was fine, the woman had been hard to miss. 

She was sure the mayor was smaller in stature than her but her presence, once she had spoken and taken over the meeting, had been commanding. Her business suit and blouse had been immaculate and her hair perfectly coiffed. Something about her demeanour just spoke to Emma and she both wanted to listen to her speak and see if she could ruffle that hard exterior a little. 

Of course, Emma was almost certain she was the reason Spence and her were being investigated so now she couldn’t get her off her mind for another reason. She had a feeling coming at the mayor head on would be like poking a slumbering dragon; and while Emma didn’t want to wake the beast she had to know what she was up against. 

She stopped in at Granny’s first to deliver some hair dye and Ruby must have seen her parking the car because she had a to-go coffee and a bear claw waiting on the counter. “Thanks Red.” Emma smirked and Ruby smiled at the nickname.

“Thank you, Ems.” Ruby accepted the small box of hair dye. “You even got the good stuff.”

“Just for you. Hey, question for you.”

“Hit me.” She was busy wiping down the counters but she kept her eyes on Emma. 

“If you were gonna ask the mayor for something how would you do it?”

Ruby laughed. “I wouldn’t.”

“She that bad?” Emma was actually curious and Ruby sighed.

“Honestly? No. Is she strict, hell yes. Does she have any fun? None that I’ve ever seen. But is she a good mayor? Also hell yes. Everything she does is for this town and that can’t be questioned by anybody.”

“So back to my question, if you had to ask something of her…” Emma gave a charming smile and Ruby laughed.

“Well don’t do that. Look.” She finally stilled her hands on the counter. “Regina is a hard-ass but she’s also a straight shooter. She isn’t going to be swayed by flowery words or promises or charm. Also, she hates when people waste her time.”

“So, straight-up and blunt and to the point is what you’re saying?”

“I guess.” Ruby leaned closer and lowered her voice. “What are you asking her for, Emma? Does this have anything to do with yours and Graham’s little moment earlier?”

Emma gave another grin. “Thanks for the coffee, Red.”

“Mhmm, I get it. The less I know the better.” Ruby shook her head affectionately. “Thanks for the hair dye.”

The trip to City Hall proved to be waste but the thing Emma liked about Storybrooke is that the drive only wasted about 4 minutes of her time. The mayor’s secretary informed Emma that mayor Mills had left for the day. Emma didn’t even bother asking where the mayor lived; she’d already heard tales of the mayors house at 108 Mifflin. The house, _or rather the mansion_ , was not hard to find. She would have known it belonged to Regina even without the Benz in the driveway. 

It made Emma think of a colonial mansion with the white siding and columns out front. It looked larger than the first five homes she had ever lived in combined. Emma knocked on the door and was startled back a step when Regina answered instantly like she’d been waiting behind the door. “As- Ms. Swan.” 

Emma tried to keep her expression neutral even though she was shocked by Regina’s expression. On the outside she still looked composed and put together; but Emma could see the edges. Her eyes were tinged with red like she’d been crying recently. Her short brunette locks, just touching her collar, were slightly mused like she’d run her hands through it in agitation. It was her eyes that truly gave her away though; they were wild. 

“Mayor Mills.” Emma didn’t want to outwardly react and she gave the mayor a moment to compose herself. 

“Is there something I can do for you, Ms. Swan? I don’t normally conduct business in my home. I have an office for that.”

“And your office is where I tried to find you ten minutes ago. I just wanted a quick word. We didn’t get a chance to properly meet yesterday.” Emma watched the brunette glance over her shoulder like she was watching to see if someone pulled into the driveway. “It’ll only take a moment, if you’re busy.”

Regina sighed. “Very well, dear. Please, come in.” Regina stepped aside and Emma got her first look inside the mansion. It was flawlessly clean and tidy and Emma wondered if Regina had hired a professional interior decorator or done this herself. “Would you like something to drink? Wine? Cider?”

“I don’t know when the last time I had a glass of cider was.” Emma admitted. “That sounds great.”

Regina finally cracked a small smile. “Any cider you’ve had won’t compare to mine, I assure you. I make it myself.”

“You got a heavy hand?” Emma smirked as Regina led them into her office. The brunette poured two glasses and passed one over. 

“You tell me.”

Emma thought the drink was delicious although she very rarely drank anything other than beer. “So, I was told you’re a straight shooter.”

“Were you now?” Regina leaned back in her armchair and Emma sat casually on the couch. “And just why were you asking?” Regina was wary, _too intelligent not to be_ , but Emma could tell she wasn’t quite as into this as she normally probably would be. 

“Because I thought we should have a conversation. Call off your guard dog.” Emma said bluntly. Regina couldn’t quite hide her surprise and Emma smirked. “We don’t have to play the game where you deny it. Sheriff Humbert called my new place of employment and asked around about me. You want to check out the new people, fine, but he crossed a line. He made me look suspicious or underhanded to my boss and I cannot have that.” 

“Maybe Sheriff Humbert found you suspicious.” Regina challenged lightly. She held her glass easily and didn’t seem bothered at all. 

“In the one afternoon I’d been in town when I even allowed him access to my home? I don’t think so. Why don’t we go ask him what his suspicions were? Or even better, why don’t I go tell the police department in Augusta and Graham can explain his suspicions to the police?” Regina’s eyes narrowed now. Emma was surprised she didn’t look angry; she looked more intrigued. “Let me guess, he didn’t have any. Now, I know I don’t have to tell you that all police personal need probable cause to investigate someone and can’t run whoever they want for no reason.”

“I’m sure Sheriff Humbert wasn’t investigating you. He just put in a simple phone call.”

“Oh really? You want to go down to the station and check the history on his computer and see if he ran my name through the database?” Emma shook her head. “You know, I don’t get this.”

“I don’t get you either, dear. You see, I’ve played this game with a lot of people and I can always sense a bluff. And you’re bluffing. You don’t want to call the police any more than I do.”

“No, I don’t.” Emma laughed. “Because this is stupid. Spencer and I move around a lot because we don’t put down roots. We don’t like to.” Emma purposefully shifted uncomfortably. “Or maybe we can’t, I dunno. Either way, we’ve done nothing to receive this suspicious treatment in the _one day_ we’ve been here.”

“Well in that one day your sister managed to start, and end, a fight.”

Emma’s gaze hardened and she gripped the glass tighter. “Maybe if your high school had a stricter policy against assault she wouldn’t have had to. I’d be more worried about all the girls that couldn’t stand up for themselves like Spence did.” Emma found herself in a staring contest then. She was almost frustrated that Regina was unfairly beautiful. Everything from her skin, that tanned Latina colour, to her eyes, a stunning chocolate brown, equaled a face that shouldn’t even be allowed. Only a tiny scar running through Regina’s upper lip gave some character and let Emma know that Regina wasn’t a statue carved from marble. 

“Why are you here, Ms. Swan?” Regina finally asked and drained her glass.

“I’m a bail bondsperson, I’m sure you know that.” Emma leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “And I don’t appreciate being treated like one of my marks.”

“Noted, dear.” 

Emma sighed and changed her posture to defeated. “Look. We don’t cause any trouble. I do my job and I even do it outside of town. I purposefully never live exactly where I work. Spencer’s grades are stellar. She has basically no social life because she wants to be a writer. So I just find her in her room typing ninety percent of the time. Moving into your town isn’t a crime. I get wanting to keep the quaint little town vibe thing you got going on here or whatever, but seriously. Enough. I pay my taxes, I don’t do anything really except my job and jog. Any event involving Spencer’s school I will happily contribute time, or donate money, or anything else required.” Emma screwed her face up slightly. “Except bake. Because I can’t do that.”

Regina actually smiled and she looked down as if she didn’t want Emma to see her until she’d composed herself. “Yes, I heard all about your lack of cooking skills, dear. And just how were the burgers?”

“I almost forgot I had you to thank for that. They were delicious but my kitchen was a right-off.”

“The trick is clean while you’re cooking, dear.” 

“I would say noted for next time but that was probably a one-time thing. Safer for everyone if Spence and I just order in. Thank you for that though, seriously. Spencer was really excited. Sometimes I don’t think she has enough fun but she had a blast destroying my kitchen.”

Regina shifted like she was in uncharted territory. “Well, I’m glad. If she ever wants to borrow a recipe she need only ask.”

“I’ll tell her.” Emma finished off her own glass. “So, are we good?”

Regina smirked. “We’re good, Ms. Swan. Although you have to admit, moving almost every year is a little suspicious.”

Emma allowed a pained look to cross her face; Regina didn’t need to know that while the emotion was real the memory attached to it was not. “Yeah. We haven’t stayed in one place,” Emma hesitated like she didn’t know if she wanted to continue, “well, I guess since our parents died.” She heaved a deep sigh. “I had just turned eighteen, Spence was seven. I snuck her out late for ice cream.” Emma shook her head and forced a smile. “She thought I was the coolest big sister, you know? And I loved that little munchkin. I was old enough where she wasn’t my annoying little sister. I didn’t mind doing things for her.” Emma forcibly cleared her throat. “They were gone by the time we got back.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Ms. Swan.”

“It’s fine. I got custody of her and we’ve been together ever since.” Her smile turned happier and it was also less fake. “Thick as thieves, her and I.”

“Do you mind me asking how they died?” Regina inquired gently. 

Emma clenched her jaw. “A fire. It was concluded to be mischief arson. That means like, somebody deliberately set the fire but not with the intention to kill anyone. They think kids were playing in the wood shed maybe, and things spread. I don’t know. Anyway,” Emma cleared her throat again, “thank you for the drink.”

“Of course. And I’ll take care of Sheriff Humbert.” Regina gave a tiny, but genuine, smile. 

Emma laughed. “Great. Oh hey,” Emma didn’t want to leave until she knew Regina was alright from whatever had happened earlier so she decided to push a little, “did Ashley mention I ran into her yesterday?”

Regina’s entire body stiffened. “Oh?”

“Yeah. On the jogging trail. The one down by that park? She’s pretty good actually. She kept pace with me the entire time and I’m not a slouch jogger.” Emma smile brightly but she could see the older woman’s struggle and she decided to stop pretending. “Sorry, is everything okay?”

“Yes, fine, thank you dear.” The response was automatic. Emma should have known better that Regina wouldn’t talk. 

“Alright. I just wanted to mention it cause I think it’s great when teenagers have a dedicated workout regimen. Spencer and I have been training together forever. Ashley already agreed to running with me on occasion, so if she ever wants a workout partner for anything else Spence and I would be happy to have her.” Emma watched Regina’s growing confusion the more Emma spoke. _I knew it._

Regina cleared her throat. “Ashley really agreed to be your running partner?”

“Mhmm.” Emma nodded. “I was surprised by how good she was. I caught her at the end of a workout yesterday so we didn’t get to really match speed or anything, but I think we could be good for each other.”

“Oh?” Regina’s confusion and unease was growing. 

“Yeah. It’s been proven a good running partner can help even an experienced runner train. One might be better at sprinting, the other endurance, and they help the other out and keep them focused.”

Regina seemed to be at a loss. “Well, yes. If Ashley already agreed to run with you, then I’m sure that’ll be good for her.”

“Yup. Anyway, thanks again for the drink.” 

“Of course, dear.” Regina walked her back out to the front door. Emma wasn’t sure what the situation between Regina and Ashley was but it was clear they were both hurting. Emma didn’t know if she could help, or why she even wanted to, but both brunettes were drawing her in. “Have a good night.”

“You as well, madam mayor.” Emma smiled lightly. The door of the mansion closed behind her and Emma prayed she had been right about Ashley. Not just for Spencer now, but also for Regina. 

**

“Hey Spence? I think Ashley may or may not be coming to the door.” 

Spencer could hear the amusement in her sister’s voice and she shared a bemused glance with Chelsea who was standing in front of the mirror finishing her hair. “Why do you say that?”

Emma appeared in the doorway. “Because she got out of an SUV and has been pacing between it and the front door for a couple minutes now.” The elder blonde laughed. 

Spencer rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, go open the door and put her out of her misery.” Emma laughed but went to do what she said.

“So.” Chelsea caught her eye in the mirror and grinned. “Just what exactly is it between you and Ashley Davies?”

“Nothing.” Spencer cursed herself for answering almost too quickly. “Sometimes when she isn’t being a drunk and a sleaze she’s actually kinda, nice?” That wasn’t the word Spencer was going to use but Chelsea was already smirking at her and she didn’t want to give her more ammunition. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to be the next notch on the famous Ashley Davies bedpost.” 

“Okay then.” Spencer was grateful that Chelsea wasn’t a complete gossip or she’d never have let this go. 

They walked out to find Ashley fidgeting nervously beside the front door. Spencer was more surprised that she and Chelsea seemed to have interrupted a serious conversation. Emma placed her hand on Ashley’s shoulder and shook her lightly. The brunette finally let out the breath she’d been holding and turned to face them. Spencer watched her jaw drop with some amusement. Spencer normally dressed pretty casually with jeans, t-shirts and long sleeve shirts. If she was feeling particularly lazy she’d steal one of Emma’s larger button-ups. But not tonight. With Emma’s promised help, and Chelsea’s quiet encouragement, Spencer was dressed to kill. 

She was wearing a short black skirt that fell to mid-thigh and white high heeled shoes. While her shoes were admittedly not as tall as the ones Ashley could casually wear to school, it still gave her an extra two inches or so. Her black, halter style shirt showed more of her cleavage than she was used to and the fabric was also slit at the bottom in the middle; it caused the shirt to flare slightly and show off her toned stomach. Emma had also let her borrow a tight, white denim jacket that only fell to her ribcage. A silver watch and bangles matched the silver hoops in her ears and she felt, if the look on Ashley’s face was anything to go by, that she was pulling it off. Her hair was in loose curls with a few pieces pulled back and braided away from her face. Chelsea had done her hair easily saying it was much easier to handle than her own. 

Ashley, of course, looked stunning. She was wearing honest to God leather pants that sat very low on her hips and were completely skin tight. The silver high heeled shoes, which Spencer couldn’t have hoped to walk in, once again brought her even to Spencer’s height. Her grey and silver tank top would have covered more of Ashley than was her norm had it not been utterly ripped to shreds and in some places barely holding together. The one dash of colour in her outfit was the bright red bra she was wearing that Spencer tried not to stare at. 

“Alright, we’ll be back later.” Spencer walked over and Emma kissed her on the cheek.

“Sounds good. Hey, have fun, okay guys?” Spencer cocked her eyebrow when Emma stressed the word fun seriously but the elder blonde only nodded. 

“I will take good care of them.” Ashley nodded instantly. 

Emma smiled. “I know you will, kiddo.” Spencer would have had to have been blind not to see what that meant to Ashely. The brunette awkwardly held the door open and Emma shut it behind them. True to her word Ashley was driving a big silver SUV instead of her black Porsche. She gallantly opened the passenger and the back door and when Spencer smiled she gave an awkward half-bow that made the blonde chuckle. Ashley quick walked around the car once they were in and pulled out onto the road.

“So where are we even going?” Spencer asked again. She should have known Ashley would just give her dangerous smirk.

“You shall see in good time, Swan.” She was driving perfectly in the speed limit down Main Street. “Here’s the aux cord by the way, and my iPod is right there.” Instead Spencer reached in her purse for her own. Ashley’s eyes lit up in challenge and delight. “You think there’s something on your iPod that isn’t on mine?”

“Just wait and see, Davies.” Spencer chuckled. She noticed Ashley seemed lighter now than when she’d first come to the door; she wondered what Emma had said to her. Spencer went into a particular playlist and then selected one of her favourite songs. When the quick, catchy drum solo started the song Spencer looked over and noticed that Ashley was undeniably in her element. Nothing had even happened yet and it seemed like, with music on, Spencer was seeing yet another side of her. The guitar and the bass kicked in with a quick riff that absolutely called for head bobbing.

_“She said "I'm Rosy"_  
_I said "I thought you were Lucy"_  
_She said "no Rosy, I told you so!"_  
_Was here with your sister_  
_But she's going out the back_  
_I wanna dance and have fun y'know_  
_Of all the shitty little places_  
_I meet you it's here and I'm freaking out_  
_I heard you got a brand new name_  
_Selling E's in the dark_  
_But hey it's nothing to shout about”_

Chelsea laughed and Ashley gave her nose crinkling smile as Spencer sang the very quick lyrics. “What are they even talking about?” Chelsea chuckled from the back seat.

“That’s the point!” Spencer exclaimed. “This is my pre-party music. No deep and thought provoking lyrics or music. Just head banging and getting pumped.”

_“Don't just say yes to tease me_  
_Do your utmost to please me_  
_I don't mean to be sleazy_  
_Being you can't be easy_  
_When you're creeping up the backstairs_  
_Mother's nightmares_  
_Falling in the front door - my, my_  
_Climbing in the window_  
_Get dressed, let's go_  
_Take your brother's car keys - bye bye”_

Spencer playfully air guitared in front of her and Ashley instantly picked up doing the drums on the steering wheel as she drove them farther out of town. Spencer turned to, again, ask where they were going but her jaw dropped when the brunette smirked and sang the next verse perfectly.

_“See your yellow fingers_  
_And your crucifix bones_  
_All covered in cellophane_  
_Was there when your best friend said_  
_"Sweetheart, I'm just here to get drunk again"_  
_I wouldn't move if I was you, wouldn't want to get caught_  
_When the lights go out she said_  
_"You think you're so special,” “I said_  
_Sunshine I'm just bored I'm just checkin' out."_

“Oh my god, you know the Fratellis?” Spencer was a little dumbfounded; and amazed. Ashley’s normally raspy voice sang in an even sultrier and sexy tone. 

Ashley smirked widely. “You’ll have to try harder than that to get one over on me, Spence.”

Just then Ashley turned quickly off the road they were travelling down and led them down a dirt road Spencer hadn’t even noticed. “Jesus, okay seriously, where are we going?”

Ashley laughed and finally relented. “When my parents lived in Storybrooke they lived in a cabin out in the woods. Nobody really knew where it was exactly.”

“And let me guess, the entire high school knows where it is now?”

“Pretty much.” Ashley turned down an even less used dirt road. “Its location is the closest guarded secret in the town.” Ashley laughed. “I don’t let a lot of people drive directly here so some people have been hiking for an hour by the time they get here.”

Spencer blinked. “Shit. Most of the high school parties I’ve been to are twenty people in a basement, not dancing, drinking cheap beer and eating chips.”

Even Chelsea laughed now. “Yeah, but those parties weren’t hosted by Ashley Davies.” Ashley pulled around a group of trees and came to small clearing. 

“Holy shit.” 

The actual structure was tiny, barely a full sized cabin, but it sat on a beautiful property. It had a small pond and a large dug out pit for a bonfire. There was already maybe 30 people here and while some were milling around others were helping to set up. Spencer thought she could see the entire basketball team helping. 

Ashley pulled the SUV into a gravel section beside a few other cars and then got out to help them down. “Careful on the gravel in your heels.” Both girls arched an eyebrow and glanced at Ashley’s own shoes. “Please, I could run in these.”

Several folding tables were set up and Spencer was surprised by the food. It wasn’t just chips and dip but actual finger foods and snacks. Her attention was caught by a large, long metal trough filled with ice; also cans of pop, beer and bottles of liquor. She thought that was impressive until she saw four basketball players moving two full kegs into place. A small permanent, wooden platform held an impressive amp and speaker system. “No one around for miles, and no one to hear us.” Ashley smiled as she led the two girls forward. Every person they passed nodded at Ashley. 

Picnic tables were already set up for drinking games like beer pong and flip-cup. “This is insane.” Spencer laughed. “Who paid for all this?”

Ashley shrugged. “I did. I care more about having a good party than the money. And it’s an honour system. Most people leave money in the cabin throughout the night, whatever they can pitch in.”

“Are people allowed in the cabin?”

“Sure, it’s got a working bathroom.” Ashley smiled. “However, the door doesn’t lock so no one can hog or fuck in it. Also I had Aiden take the door off the bedroom so-”

“No one would fuck in it.” Spencer finished. 

“Exactly. So.” Ashley flashed her charming smile. “Can I get you two beautiful ladies a drink?”

“Why don’t you show us the selection?” Ashley led them over to the drinks and Spencer almost jumped when a group of 15 people, and then another group of 10 behind them, emerged suddenly from the bushes. She noticed the girls were all in hiking boots and track pants. They all carried bags and Spencer assumed it wouldn’t be long until they were in party clothes. _This is completely insane._

“Whiskey, vodka, gin? Pick your poison.” Ashley was checking the labels on all the bottles. 

“Vodka for me, please.” Chelsea asked politely. 

“Sure thing. Cranberry? OJ?” Chelsea nodded for orange juice and Ashley quickly grabbed a solo cup and poured a decently strong, but not disgusting, drink for her with expert hands. “One screwdriver for the lady. And you Spence?” 

“Rum and coke, if you don’t mind. Here, Chels.” Spencer pulled a thin package from her purse and withdrew a straw which she dropped in Chelsea’s cup. “You don’t have to drink out of it, but keep that in your drinks all night.”

“What is it?” She eyed the white and pink straw curiously. 

“A lifesaver.” Spencer smirked. “That straw turns blue at any point you dump that drink and come find me.” Ashley fished out another bottle, cracked it and poured it while reaching into the piles of ice to find a can of pop. She even dropped an ice cube in the finished drink for her. “Thank you. I have to say, this isn’t what I was expecting. Like at all.” Spencer dropped another straw in her own drink and though Ashley eyed it funny she didn’t comment on it.

“Chelsea was right.” Ashley smiled. “You haven’t been to an Ashley Davies party. Hey!” She turned and called out to a passing basketball player Spencer couldn’t remember the name of. She threw her ipod over to him and he caught it easily. “Let’s get this party started, right?”

When the ever increasing crowd cheered, and the speakers suddenly kicked in, Spencer realized that Emma was likely to get her wish; she was going to have fun tonight.

_Now as long as I don’t get into trouble._

**

Ashley was half listening to what Madison was telling her and half keeping an eye on Spencer. The blonde was only a few feet away standing with Chelsea cheering on the beer-pong game furiously under way. She looked happy and her pale skin was slightly flushed. She was on her second drink but she’d been holding it for a while. She didn’t seem to need it to enjoy the spectacle around her. 

Her attention on the blonde was two-fold. Emma Swan had trusted her to watch Spencer tonight. An adult had actually put their faith in Ashley and asked for nothing in return. That alone had granted Emma Ashley’s respect until the older blonde did something to lose it. That put her in a very limited category with Aiden, Madison and Henry. She was following Emma’s words to the letter. Spencer was drinking but seemed perfectly fine and if the way she cheered and danced in her spot she was having a good time. Ashley had called Spunk, the 20 year old graduate who dealt out party favours, over and warned him in no uncertain terms that he was not to even breathe in the direction of the blonde and her friend. Spunk might have been a small town drug dealer but he knew where the money was and pissing off Ashley Davies wasn’t good for business. Ashley had also told Aiden to keep a close eye on Peter Gold. As a basketball player, even benched, he was automatically granted an invite to the party but Ashley wanted to make sure that he wasn’t too embarrassed about getting his ass kicked by the new girl. Ashley was determined; nothing bad would happen to Spencer.

On the flipside, Ashley also just liked seeing the blonde smile. Spencer had seemed reserved and aloof but Ashley had always been able to see her fire. Spencer had gone head to head with Ashley and left the brunette speechless. She had also stood up for her and given her a second chance. _She also seems to have good taste in music. And don’t even get me started about how hot she is._ And Ashley wasn’t the only person who had noticed. Spencer looked _insanely_ attractive tonight and Ashley was glad she’d arrived with the blonde. Usually her presence was enough to keep the horny basketball players away. 

“ _Chica_ are you even listening to me?”

“Not really.” Ashley smirked. She took a pull off her beer bottle. 

“What is with you tonight? Usually you’ve done a keg stand and started a mosh-pit by now.” She tapped a manicured nail against Ashley’s beer bottle. “And what the hell is this?”

“What? Say what you want to say Madison.”

The Latina groaned. “Just go close the deal with blondie so you can have some fun tonight for Christ sakes.” 

“You know what?” Ashley smirked at her friend. “I think I will go have some fun.” Ashley snagged another beer from the cooler and made her way over to Spencer. Spencer had clearly chosen to cheer for the two nerds as opposed to the two jocks. Every time the kid wearing an Atari t-shirt, who Ashley couldn’t even think of the name of, made a good shot he yelled and high-fived the blonde. Ashley’s appearance turned a few heads so she slid up beside Spencer. “Enjoying yourself?”

“You know, I am. This is definitely _not_ what I was picturing. And the music is even good.” She teased.

Ashley snorted. “It better be, it’s my iPod. Here.” She handed over the beer and the blonde took it with a quizzical expression.

“I already have a drink.”

“But not beer, and you’re going to need that.”

“And how come?”

Ashley turned to crowd. “Swan and I have the winners.” A loud cheer erupted and Ashley smirked her devilish smirk. 

“Oh really?” Spencer drained the remainder of her rum and coke easily. “And how do you know I can even play?”

“I got a good feeling about you Swan.” Her good feeling turned out to be correct. Ashley also found her own aim was better than ever; she suspected because she was barely drunk. Spencer played a sneaky style of the game and bounced the ball in for two twice in a row. 

“Ash!”

“What?” The brunette snapped at Aiden. She realized it was her turn and she’d been too busy staring at Spencer. The blonde was now staring back and Ashley was lost in blue eyes. She raised her arm and threw her turn without ever taking her eyes off Spencer. She was trying to show the blonde she didn’t really care about the game but when the gathered crowd exploded she realized her shot had actually gone in. _Well, I can take looking suave as hell too._

“Not bad Davies.” 

“You got last shot Swan. Can you nail this?” 

Spencer scoffed. She stripped off her white jacket and held it out beside her to someone. “Hold this.” The back of Spencer’s shirt showed off half her swan tattoo and a few people hollered her name. Spencer took her shot with little fanfare and though it bounced off the rim and in their opponents had been too busy watching her to swat the ball away. Hollers of _redemption_ filled the clearing. 

Normally, Ashley would flaunt her skin, and sometimes her whole chest, to distract the team trying for redemption. This time she didn’t even look. Spencer was laughing, and clapping, and Ashley felt inexplicably good for making the blonde happy. She didn’t notice when both ping-pong balls sailed wide; she noticed when she suddenly had an arm full of Spencer. The blonde had launched at her and Ashley’s arms automatically wrapped around her waist to steady her when Spencer slung her arms around her neck. 

Ashley had to hold herself back from burying her face into Spencer’s hair and breathing deeply. _Jesus Christ, Davies, be cool not a creeper._ “I guess you can nail it.”

Spencer pulled back and her face was so close, her eyes so blue, her smile so wide. Ashley was going to kiss her. Her hands were already around her waist and she was almost pressed up against her; Ashley was surprised she wasn’t _already_ kissing her.

_“Hey, kiddo. You coming in or what?” Ashley flushed to be caught pacing out front of the Swan house. She stepped forward as Emma opened the door wider and steadied a vase right beside the door. Emma nodded her chin out the door to the SUV on the curb. “I wondered how you were going to get them both in the Porsche.”_

_“Had a back-up.” Ashley smirked. Emma stepped a little closer and Ashley furrowed her eyebrows._

_“You alright?”_

_The brunette was shocked. “What?” She glanced down at herself; her outfit was flawless, her hair and makeup had been flawless when she checked in the car. “What do you mean?”_

_“Didn’t mean anything by it.” Emma shrugged. “Just asking if you were okay.”_

_“I’m fine.” The words sounded snappish even to Ashley’s ears and she sighed. “Sorry.”_

_“You don’t have to apologize to me.” Emma said quietly. She could hear Spencer approaching so she lowered her voice. “If there_ is _someone you need to apologize to, you should do it though. And if they need to apologize to you hopefully they will. Not everything is your fault Ashley. But you have to step up to the things that are.”_

_Ashley clenched her jaw. “You make that sound easy.”_

_“It isn’t. How about this. You are not only the sum of your mistakes, Ashley. You are a person who makes choices. And you can choose to make different ones.”_

Ashley smiled, not a smirk or a leer, as she pulled away from Spencer. Without kissing her. “We make a good team, Swan.”

“It seems we do, Davies.” 

“Can I get you another drink to celebrate our victory?” 

“Please.” Spencer smiled genuinely and Ashley couldn’t keep the adoring grin off her face when the blonde linked their arms together. “So this is your party.” Spencer stated obviously and Ashley quirked an eyebrow.

“You know it is.” She snapped open the top on a fresh can of coke to make Spencer’s drink. 

“And I’m like, your guest at this party. Seeing as you picked me up, and drove me here and whatnot.”

“Okay.” Ashley drawled the word. “You’re my guest here.” She passed over the drink and Spencer tasted it. She hummed in approval and Ashley grinned. She grabbed another beer for herself. 

“So would you do anything to make me happy at this party?” Spencer gave a coy smile that flipped Ashley’s insides. _She has to know what she’s doing to me._

Part of Ashley wanted to declare _of course I will, I’d do anything for you_ instantly but some part of her was still trying to be cool and sensed the trap. “Depends what it is, Swan.” 

Spencer’s smile was wide and free. “I want you to sing.”

Ashley now smirked. “That all?” She turned and found the tallest, black haired jock in the crowd. “Aiden! Where’s my microphone?” A huge holler went up from the crowd and Aiden headed for the speaker.

“What, really? Just like that?”

Ashley laughed. “I’m a singer, Spence. Just like that.” Ashley twined her fingers with the blondes and led her over to where a crowd was gathering. “What do you want to hear?”

“Surprise me.”

“Of course.” Ashley rolled her eyes. She put Spencer right in front and then jumped up onto the small wooden platform. Aiden was plugging in her mic and she scrolled through her choices quickly. “Alright guys, changing it up tonight.”

The song started with a quick, catchy piano intro and Spencer was apparently the only person who knew the indie, alternative rock song; Ashley couldn’t care less.

_“Pull me up a chair_  
_And keep your money_  
_There's no guarantees_  
_Won't you please forgive me?_  
_But you know cold-blooded women make me sneeze_  
_And I'll kick you out the door_  
_If for just one minute you lie_  
_They'll come crashing through the wall_  
_And leave you crawling 'til the minute you die”_

Ashley had a karaoke program that filtered songs and allowed only the instrumentals to play so it was only the brunette singing. The intoxicated crowd jumped and cheered even if they didn’t know the words but Ashley only had eyes for Spencer. 

_“Won't you sell a drink or three_  
_And maybe we'll think clearer for a while_  
_You may be an embarrassment_  
_But I love the way your clothes are never in style_  
_If this much is too easy_  
_I'm dying to be some kind of whore_  
_Well you swear that you're original,_  
_But I know I've seen those jealous eyes before”_

Singing was the only time that Ashley felt free apart from running; the difference was that she knew singing is where she belonged. She never felt fearful or nervous; just excitement and power thrumming through her veins and she knew she would always at heart be a singer.

_“Tear another whole in my brown shoes_  
_And we can all sleep for a while_  
_Well I told you once before_  
_I love your braces and your hesitant smile_  
_Please don't get me wrong_  
_It's only right that you can stamp on my heart_  
_Well I see you and your friends someplace_  
_You know I just can't tell you apart”_

Ashley never thought about her aunt Regina and all their fights when she was singing, she never thought about the disappointment on Henry’s face every time she let him down, she didn’t think about the parents who abandoned her to a town they loathed; she just sang and put her entire soul into it.

_“And though they'll hunt you like a dog_  
_But they won't take you alive_  
_Cause you made big piles of money_  
_Stacked up twenty storeys high_  
_Well the boys in every bar_  
_They will not miss you when you go”_

Ashley always fed off the energy and the crowd and she delighted in performing as well as singing. But this time, she didn’t see the crowd.

She could only see Spencer. 

**

Regina had been nursing a glass of wine for over an hour now. She wanted to drain the glass and get another. She _really_ wanted to switch to her cider. But she thought it was completely tactless to sit at home and drink while she waited for her drunk, partying niece to get home. 

She also feared getting a call from Graham and having to be sober enough to drive to the station. Or the hospital. 

The brunette had put on a brave face after Ashley had stormed out for Henry’s sake. But once her little prince had gone to sleep she could do nothing but pace and worry. She regretted reading all of the stories on the Cortagen website. After Suzy’s story she had gone down the list and read them all. Rick’s and Tina’s and Rajheed’s and on and on the stories went. Faceless teenagers who all described hitting rock bottom in the most horrific ways. _Children shouldn’t know what rock bottom feels like._ Regina swirled the wine remaining in her glass. She’d been hours thinking about them now; hours thinking of teenagers she didn’t know and picturing the ways they’d described they’d almost died. 

There was Rick whose turning point came when a shot of “molly” blew up a vein in his arm. Days later with a lethal infection, Rick’s friends were able to get the teenager to a walk-in clinic for treatment where the doctor explained that left even one more day untreated, he could have lost his arm.

There was Tina who recalled waking up at a party naked in a room full of people. The memories, and the lack of memories, plagued on the teenagers mind so much she turned from alcohol to harder drugs, eventually heroin, to numb her thoughts. Her next memory was waking up in the intensive care unit in hospital being told it was a miracle she had awoken at all.

And there was Rajheed who was so addicted to drugs that when his mother tried to stop him and take the drugs away he struck her. He says the memories blurred into sirens, crying and blood and that he was so out of it the thought that he’d really hurt his mother didn’t sink in until the next day.

Regina felt pride for teenagers she didn’t know because they had turned their lives around. She also wept for them. She wept because when she pictured their stories, their pain, their rock bottom she wasn’t picturing faceless teenagers. 

She was picturing Ashley. 

The front door opening and closing with a quiet click snapped her to attention and she almost raced from the kitchen. She was completely dressed down wearing track pants and a hoody with bare feet. Something about not seeming like the mayor, _about not being the so-called Evil Queen_ , felt important to her right now. “Ashley?”

She heard the jump from her niece and Ashley turned to face her. “You scared me, aunt Regina. It’s 2a.m., what are you doing up?”

Regina glanced at the clock; she had actually expected it to be later. Ashley sometimes breezed back into the mansion with the rising of the sun. “I was waiting up for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Ashley sighed. 

“Look Ashley,” Regina paused to take a good look at her niece, “are you sober?” That wasn’t what she was originally going to say and her voice was puzzled. Ashley was standing straight and easy even in four inch high heeled shoes. She was meeting her gaze head on and her brown eyes didn’t look glassy or unfocussed. She was holding her phone in one hand and her purse in another. 

She watched the younger brunette open and close her mouth several times before she seemingly came to decision. “Actually, no. I’m not. I had a couple of beers throughout the night.”

“A couple of beers.” Regina sounded confused and suspicious. 

“Yes. I didn’t,” she shifted uncomfortably, “I didn’t drink like I normally do.”

“Okay.” Regina was entirely thrown off. She had been imaging every way this conversation could go but this hadn’t made the list.

“Look it’s late, and I’m tired. Can we do this tomorrow?”

“Ashley. No, we can’t. I want you to talk to me. You storm out of here earlier and now you come home and say you didn’t party?”

“That’s not what I said. I said I didn’t drink like I normally do.” Ashley’s voice got a little sharp but she took a calming breath. “I mostly just,” _oh my god is Ashley Davies blushing_ , “um, hung out with Spencer.”

“Spencer Swan?” Regina felt so behind in this conversation. 

“Yeah. She’s not a huge drinker. It wasn’t a big deal. We played some games and hung out. She asked me to sing. Look, I’m not coming home wasted like you were worried about, so can I just go to bed?”

“No.” Regina tried to stay firm. “Ashley, coming home one time after only drinking beer and not whiskey doesn’t fix all of our problems. We have a lot to talk about. Your drinking, your attitude, your grades and your schoolwork.”

“And this conversation has to happen now at 2a.m?”

“You never talk to me, so when would you like to talk about this?” Regina knew her voice sounded defeated. And without her makeup and her usual clothes she felt even smaller. 

“Why would I talk to you when you never actually listen?” Ashley snapped. She turned on her heels and walked away and Regina watched her go. She knew what was sitting beside her wine glass on the dining room table. _I’m going to do it. I’m really going to do it._

Regina looked up puzzled when Ashley paused on the stairway. She turned around and faced Regina with a hurt and confused expression. “Look. I decided that starting today, okay like, starting five hours ago, that I was going to start making different decisions.” She sighed deeply. “So, I’m sorry. Not for everything.” She added quickly. “Just, sorry for snapping at you just now. And for storming out earlier.”

The older brunette had no hope of controlling her expression and knew Ashley could see her astonishment. 

“I do not want to talk to you because I don’t believe that you listen to me. You, and everyone else in this town has already made up your minds about me. And,” she looked down now, “truthfully I guess I don’t really listen to you either. No wonder our conversations blow.”

“Ashley.” Regina’s voice was soft. “Please, come and talk to me? I’ll listen to you, and then you can listen to me?”

Ashley seemed to be considering it but then her expression hardened. “No. Like you said, coming home only sort of intoxicated one time doesn’t fix anything. You’re still mad at me and I’m still pissed at you. Just, no. Not now.” Ashley turned and continued her trip upstairs. Regina watched her go the entire way. 

Eventually she walked back into the kitchen, drained her wine glass and then put it in the sink. She gathered the papers that had been sitting on the table and brought them to her office. 

She stared at them while she debated with herself. Ashley’s voice, mostly clear of alcohol and anger, saying _“I decided today…that I was going to start making different decisions.”_ Regina tried not let it influence her. Ashley had lied directly to her face for years. At first the excuses and promises had meant something but after the years, after the fights and the scares and everything else, Ashley’s words had held no weight. Her word meant nothing. _“I was going to start making different decisions.”_

With a trembling hand Regina opened a desk drawer and she hid the Cortagen admittance papers for the forced admission of a minor inside. 

They were still unsigned.


	4. Family Bonding and Breaking

“Hey kiddo.” Emma greeted. “You’re up early.”

Spencer smiled at her sister and accepted the bottle of water she passed her from the fridge. “Yeah I felt really rested and I wanted to get a good workout in because I drank yesterday.” Her older sister slid along the counter looking like a gossipy teenager herself.

“Why don’t you come for a run with me and tell me all about the party?” 

Spencer rolled her eyes but agreed. Soon both blondes, in jogging shorts and tank tops, were jogging down their street. “You want to do the town? I haven’t been anywhere but Granny’s and the school.” Spencer asked because she knew her sister usually ran in seclusion in the woods. 

“Sure. We’ll loop around all the side streets and see where everything is and end down Maine Street so we can hit up Ruby for some coffee?” Emma set their pace at an easy jog, after they stretched in the driveway, and they ran side by side easily. 

Spencer, within a few steps, had her pace, flow, and breathing matched to Emma’s. Her sister had been training her pretty much as long as she could remember and they had such easy rhythm with each other. 

“So.” Emma drew the word out. “Tell me all about it.”

“Well, it was definitely the best high school party I’ve ever been to. Ashley must be loaded because she apparently paid for everything. There was two kegs and an entire trough full of beer and liquor bottles. It was crazy.”

“She must like putting on a party.” Emma remarked casually. 

“Yeah that’s what she said. Said she cared more about having a good time. Her speaker system was insane.” Spencer couldn’t help the excitement in her voice. “And, I found out Ashley is a musician.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. She’s a singer with amazing taste in music. Apparently she listens to everything. She sang the Fratellis to me.” Spencer gushed; she noticed too late her sister smirking. “At the party. To everyone. I mean, she sang a song in front of everyone.”

“But it was your favourite band.” Emma smiled.

Spencer blushed a little. “Yeah. I played them in the car and assumed she wouldn’t know them but she did. So I asked her to sing and she did another Fratellis song. Her voice, Emma, oh my god.”

“Alright, alright.” Emma teased. “What were you drinking?”

“Rum and cokes. I followed the Swan Sisters rules of course. Actually I think I drank more than Ashley did, I only saw her with beer.” This made Emma smile a little and Spencer didn’t know why. They were jogging down another side street full of quaint houses with cute yards. 

“So what happened then?”

“After Ashley sang it became more of a dance party. Ashley’s best friend, Madison, she put on a crazy show. Songs would come on and she knew the actual choreography from the music videos. Ashley and I danced with people and talked a lot. I asked her a lot about music. She told me she could play basically anything. She said she’s got a music room in her aunt’s mansion with like every musical instrument.”

“That’s very impressive.” Spencer noticed her sister smiling thinly at a woman picking up her newspaper who did a double-take at her sister’s sleeves of tattoos. 

“God this town is sometimes ridiculous.” Spencer sighed. “What’s going to happen with the Sheriff?”

“I think I got Regina to call off her dog.” Emma snarked; Spencer arched an eyebrow. 

“Regina, huh?” She yelped when Emma pushed her by the shoulder suddenly and she almost toppled into a hedge. “What, you’re the one on first name basis with the _Evil Queen_.”

Emma shot her a look. “Do me a favour, kiddo? Don’t call her that.”

“Okay.” Spencer had never denied her sister when she actually asked for something. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just a nasty name, I dunno. I don’t like it. It sounds funny because it’s from a fairy tale or whatever, but she was the villain in that story. She did a lot of bad things. You wouldn’t be okay if her nickname was Stalin or Hitler would you?”

“I want to say that’s a little different, but I see your point.”

“Besides, look around this town, Spence.” They were jogging passed perfectly manicured lawns and houses. The streets and the sidewalks were clean and there was neat flowerbeds at every corner. When they reached the end of the street they found a beautiful park. It had a makeshift castle for the younger kids and safe, upgraded plastic jungle gym equipment. There were walking trails and grassy areas for playing games outside. They jogged around a huge, decorative fountain with water clean enough to drink. “Does this look like a place run by an evil tyrant? Seems to me like Regina does everything she can for this town.”

“You make a good point, Ems.” Spencer let their conversation lapse into silence and they headed for the other side of the park. She could already see it came out at the street that led to the library. “Ashley doesn’t talk about her.” She said out of the blue. 

Emma took it in stride. “Regina?”

“Yeah. We talked all night and she never said anything about her. I really don’t think they get along.”

Emma was quiet for a moment and because their run was half over she picked up their pace. “Well, Regina is her guardian. A lot of teenagers don’t get along well with their parents or guardian.” 

Spencer flashed a winning smile that was all teeth. “I get along well with you.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, but we’re special.” They turned down Maine Street and started the homestretch back down towards Granny’s. Spencer saw a few clothing shops and restaurants and an ice cream parlour, which seemed normal, but there was also an apothecary and a magic store which seemed a little odd. 

A few more of Storybrooke’s citizens were appearing out and about and the sisters either smiled politely or ignored them. Spencer wasn’t sure if they were staring because they were new, they were jogging or because of their tattoo’s. “Race you to Granny’s?” Spencer coiled her muscles even as she spoke the challenge. Green eyes only met hers for a second before both girls took off. 

Spencer chose to stay on the sidewalk but Emma darted behind a parked car and hit the street where she really put her all into it. Spencer pumped her arms and kept her form perfect as she sprinted as hard as she could. She didn’t dare glance over to see where Emma was because it would slow her down and possibly break her concentration. 

When Spencer blew passed the Granny’s sign she saw her sister in the corner of her eye at the same moment. They both took several feet to slow down and then they jogged in place for a moment laughing. “Was that me or you?” Spencer regulated her breathing and tried to slow her heart rate.

“I don’t know.” Emma admitted. She stopped jogging and then started stretching out her legs. “We’ll need a judge next time.”

“Or we can just say I won.” Spencer smirked. Emma cuffed her around the head and then entered their favourite diner. The bell alerted Ruby and she glanced over from her place behind the counter; they watched her eyebrows arch upwards. 

“Two extra-large, extra hot, black coffees to-go? And possibly a towel?” She teased. She threw a clean rag she used to wipe down the counters and it struck Emma in the face. Emma shrugged and used it to pat her face and neck. 

“Thanks, Red.” Emma playfully flung the rag back and Ruby squealed. 

“Keep your sweat to yourself thanks.” Ruby’s Granny called for her in the back and Ruby rolled her eyes. “One sec guys.”

Spencer stretched out a little as she waited and her attention was caught by a table behind her when she heard the name “Davies”. 

“I’m telling you, the girls a menace.” 

“I heard from David, who heard it from Mary-Margaret, who heard it from Kathryn that Ashley is on the verge of being expelled.”

“Seems even an Evil Queen isn’t enough to keep a Davies in line.”

“Same as her father, that one. Storybrooke would be better without any Davies in it.”

Spencer clenched her hands and turned to say something to the table of three women, _three hags more like_ , but Emma caught her arm. Spencer trusted her sister enough to stay still; she also trusted the angry clench of her older sister’s jaw. Ruby came back out from the back and noticed the changed posture of the two angry blondes instantly. “Ruby. Can I get three donuts as well? On a plate, not to-go.” Ruby, to her credit, said nothing about the request and reached into the glass display to get some. 

Spencer grit her teeth as the women continued gossiping. 

“I mean, I’m not saying I have a problem with all gay people, if you know what I mean, but Ashley is such a bad egg.”

“I hear you. If even half the rumours flying outta that school are true, well, I just couldn’t even imagine. I don’t know what Mayor Mills has done to try and correct that kind of behaviour.”

“I heard Ashley made it a point to try and sleep with the entire cheerleading squad by graduation, can you believe that?”

“What must Mayor Mills be doing? I can tell you right now Sarah isn’t even thinking about having sex let alone participating in parties and stuff like that. And she’s on the cheerleading team so I don’t know where those rumours came from.”

Ruby finally handed over the drinks and Spencer took them. “Head for the door.” Emma nodded while taking the plate. Spencer watched her approach the women and without warning slam the plate down on the table. All three women gasped and jumped and looked up to find Emma smiling politely. “Hi there, my name’s Emma Swan, I’m new in town.” Spencer almost giggled as her sister placed her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly highlighting her tattoos; she even thought Emma might be flexing. “I couldn’t help but overhear. I’m sure your Mayor would love to know what you think of her parenting skills.” The paling of the three women was unmistakable. They shared shifty glances with each other and Emma’s polite smile never faded. “And there’s nothing like gossiping about other people’s home lives, is there? Like how people probably gossip about your husband cheating on you with your best friend who enjoys Saturday breakfast with you, or about how you’re so in a rut you haven’t had sex in five years.” Emma finally stood up straight. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys to enjoy your breakfast. And that if you can’t find anything better to talk about than to gossip about a seventeen year old girl then try stuffing your mouths with that.” Emma forcefully pushed the plate of donuts into the middle of the table and turned her back to stride out. 

Spencer hung back for one second. “By the way, not sure which Sarah is yours because there’s two of them on the squad. Both were really, really nice though. Ashley introduced me to both of them.” With a playful wink Spencer stormed out after her sister and left them sputtering behind her.

**

Ashley blinked her eyes open and the first thing she did was glance at her phone. She had to look twice when she saw it was only 9:30. She considered rolling over and burrowing back into the covers to sleep but she actually felt pretty rested. She unlocked her phone with her thumbprint and went instantly into her gallery. Normally, a party night would mean a hundred photos of which she only remembered the first twenty or so. This time she had only 8 new ones and each centered on a certain blonde. 

The first Ashley had snapped while Spencer was unaware. She and Chelsea were in the midst of high fiving while watching a game of beer pong. The smile on her face was wide and she was laughing unrestrained. _Jesus fuck she’s beautiful_. The next photo Ashley had taken after she’d finished singing A Heady Tale for Spencer. She’d still been up on platform with the speaker and she’d taken a shot of the crowd. Each person was cheering or laughing or drinking. Only one person, one set of bright blue eyes, were looking directly up at her. The next four photos were all Ashley’s attempts to take one while they’d been dancing. Madison and the cheerleaders had been around, so Ashley hadn’t been dancing as one on one as she’d hoped, but she’d still had a blast. Ashley had tried to hold her phone straight up in the air and take a picture down at them but she wasn’t quite tall enough to manage it. The pictures, even with their faces half cut off, were cute anyway. The seventh picture was snapped when the bonfire was getting prepared and about to be lit. Ashley called for Aiden to find a lighter when Spencer had shocked her, pulled a Zippo lighter from her pocket and promptly lit a rolled up newspaper. Ashley had been getting nervous, because the blonde had playfully held onto the burning newspaper for quite a long time before she finally dropped it in the pit. Ashley had captured a picture right after that when the flames were just starting to turn bright and illuminating the blondes face. The last picture, and her favourite, was them sitting side by side on a log in front of the fire. They’d been talking for hours at this point and Spencer had suddenly stolen her phone and taken a picture of them. Ashley had been in the midst of miming playing the cello for Spence and she had a goofy smile on her face that crinkled up her nose. The blonde was shaking her head and laughing like Ashley was ridiculous. 

The brunette finally pulled back the covers and headed for the shower in her ensuite bathroom. She was actually a little surprised. _No headache, no rolling or churning stomach, eyes aren’t burning and mouth doesn’t taste like carpet or throw up._ Ashley paused in the doorway to the bathroom. _Am I really this unaccustomed to waking up not hungover?_

She shook off the melancholy and decided to just enjoy her morning. She jumped into the shower with an unusual amount of pep and started humming instantly. Ashley rarely did anything alone without humming but soon a particular tune had emerged and Ashley was singing softly while she used her body wash. 

_“I was a boat stuck in a bottle_  
_That never got the chance to touch the sea_  
_Just forgot on the shelf_  
_No wind in the sails_  
_Going nowhere with no one but me_  
_I was one in one-hundred billion_  
_A burned out star in a galaxy_  
_Just lost in the sky wondering why_  
_Everyone else shines out but me”_

Ashley rolled her eyes but kept the beat and continued singing the cheesy love song.

_“But_  
_I came to life when I first kissed you_  
_The best me has her arms around you_  
_You make me better than I was before_  
_Thank God I'm yours”_

She rinsed herself off and turned around to soak her hair. With her face half in the water she sang louder; she couldn’t keep the dopey grin off her face. 

_“I was a worn out set of shoes_  
_Wandering the city street_  
_Another face in the crowd_  
_Head looking down_  
_Lost in the sound of a lonely melody_  
_Empty pockets at a roulette_  
_Always landing on a lost bet_  
_Just live for the spin and hope for the win_  
_Go all in just to lose again”_

The brunette felt something in her chest clench as the words struck a chord with her. She adored that music could do that; music could change your mood or it could enlighten you. She chose to keep singing and keep her smile. She wondered who Russell Dickerson had been picturing when he sang this song because Ashley was picturing a beautiful, blue eyed, blonde. 

_“But_  
_I came to life when I first kissed you_  
_The best me has her arms around you_  
_You make me better than I was before_  
_Thank God I'm yours_  
_The worst me is just a long gone memory_  
_You put a new heartbeat inside of me_  
_You make me better than I was before_  
_Thank God I'm yours”_

Ashley rinsed out her hair and then turned the water off, laughing and shaking her head. _Who would have thought Ashley Davies could be such a fucking sap?_ She went through her morning routine although it felt a little different because she wasn’t hurting and because it was still actually the morning. She flopped down on the bed and reached underneath the mattress automatically. Her hand groped around and she furrowed her eyebrows before remembering that Regina had stolen her bottle. She groaned but accepted it and got out of bed again. She had no immediate plans so she only slipped into comfy plaid lounge pants and a hoody. She was still humming when she made it downstairs and entered the kitchen.

“Ashley!” The brunette smiled widely at her younger cousin. He was at the table eating cereal and reading a comic book but he had closed it instantly at the sight of her. “Where have you been?”

Ashley felt like she’d been punched in the gut. _Has it really been so long since I’ve really spoken to Henry?_ She gave him her widest smile. “I’ve just been really busy, Hen, but that is definitely no excuse. How have you been? Graduate yet, driving a car?”

Henry laughed and it made Ashley feel even guiltier. She knew that Henry adored her. _Why wouldn’t he, half the time he thinks you’re his big sister._

“Have not graduated yet, and mom still won’t let me drive her Benz so I have no driving experience. Unless you want to let me drive your Porsche?” 

Ashley couldn’t believe that cheeky, innocent smile he graced her with. _That’ll be dangerous in a few years._ “We’ll see about that, little dude. What are you reading?” 

The young boys face lit up in obvious excitement. “This is the new Justice League, #23. It’s the second part of the Queen of Fables. See, the Queen starts granting wishes and her power grows every time she grants a wish. But the wishes always turn out dangerous.”

Ashley turned the comic book around and flipped it open to glance at the pictures. “Wishes are dangerous in about medium, little dude. This is pretty cool though.” Ashley didn’t claim to be an artist but she could see the appeal in the comic book.”

“The coolest.” Henry beamed. “Mom got it for me cause I was voted the best reader in my class.” The words were said with pride and Ashley’s smile almost faltered. _When did that happen? Where the hell was I?_

“I’m not surprised you won, you’re the best reader I know.” 

“Justice League has gotten really popular because they made a movie out of them but I was totally a fan before that. You’ve seen Justice League, right?” Henry asked like it was obvious and Ashley blinked. 

“Um. No?”

“What?” The young boys face was stricken and Ashley almost cooed at him. “But Justice League is great! You’ve at least seen Wonder Woman right? The introduction of Diana Prince to the big screen before she teams up with Superman and the rest of the Justice League?”

Ashley shrugged. “Sorry, little dude. I’ve been busy.”

“That’s no excuse! We need to watch Wonder Woman. Right now.”

Ashley’s knee jerk response was to say that she was still busy but Henry’s cereal and comic book were forgotten and he was staring up at her with such an expectant expression. He already looked a little disappointed and Ashley realized the 11 year old already thought she was going to say no. “You know what? Let’s do it. I’m all for a lazy Saturday morning with you.”

“Really?!” Henry leapt from his seat and raced for the living room as if he had to get the movie in before Ashley changed her mind. 

“Yes, really.” Ashley followed behind me at a slightly more dignified pace but then flopped down in a sprawl on the couch. “You’re my favourite man, Hen.” 

Henry scrunched up his face. “What about Aiden?”

“What? No way. You’re like Batman and Aiden is-”

“Robin?”

“No.” Ashley playfully whacked her cousin with a pillow as he sat down beside her. “If you’re Batman than Aiden is Alfred.” 

Henry laughed and buried his face in Ashley’s side. “Okay the movie is starting! It’s amazing you’ll love it. I can’t believe you haven’t seen this yet.” Henry sounded incredulous. 

“Maybe Ashley is more of a Marvel fan, dear.” 

Ashley looked up sharply to find Regina standing in the doorway. She froze slightly out of habit but Regina was smiling softly.

“No way!” Henry turned to her with a serious expression. “We’re DC in this house, Ashley.”

Ashley nodded seriously back. “Noted.” Her eyes trailed back over to her aunt but Regina wasn’t standing and watching them anymore. _Wow, she actually let us be._ Ashley had been expecting sharp words about the cereal left in the dining room or demands to talk like she had last night. 

“Hey, Ash?”

“Yeah, little dude?”

“Why do people at school talk about you and mom?”

Ashley froze and tried to keep the furious expression from her face. _He’s in elementary school for fucks sake!_ “What do they say, Hen?”

“Mean stuff.” He shrugged his shoulders and averted his gaze. “I tried to tell them not to.”

“You don’t have to do that, Henry. Listen, some people,” Ashley tried to police her words, “are just mean. And they say mean things about people because they think then other people won’t say mean things about them. Just ignored them. Okay?” _Jesus fuck now they even try to turn Henry against me._

“Okay, Ash.” Henry agreed easily. He was soon completely distracted by the movie.

“This is so great.” Henry was snuggled into her side and watching the TV with rapt attention. 

“Yeah, little dude. Pretty great.” Ashley leaned back and quickly found herself absorbed in the movie too. 

** 

Regina’s heels clicked up the driveway of the simple but nice two story house. Regina had walked this path for years and she knocked on the door easily. While she had left most of her Mayoral persona in the car she still looked completely put together in her slacks and blouse and not a single strand of hair was out of place. 

“Regina.” Kathryn’s voice was warm but surprised when she opened the door. Regina knew that their get-togethers were usually planned in advance and now she was showing up out of the blue on a Saturday afternoon but her good friend still moved aside and motioned her in. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, fine. I just wished to talk to you and I didn’t want to do it at the school.”

Kathryn seemed to get her meaning and gestured her into the kitchen. Regina walked with familiarity throughout the house and noticed a lack of Kathryn’s husband. “Where is Frederick?”

“Oh, out doing something outdoorsy with David and Killian I believe. Some male bonding or what have you. Coffee, tea?” Kathryn arched an eyebrow. “Wine?”

Regina smiled lightly. “It’s a little early, Kat.”

The blonde waved a hand. “One glass won’t kill us.” She busied herself for a moment at the wine rack and opened a bottle of red. “Pinot noir alright I hope.”

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Regina waited until the blonde was seated and facing her.

“Alright Regina, spill.”

Regina’s face was solemn. “I know we have to do something…about Ashley.” Kathryn sighed audibly. “I know, Kat. I know things are out of control.” She was surprised when Kathryn stood and told her she’d be back in a moment; she came back from her office carrying a thick file folder. 

“I was dreading bringing this up to you so I’m almost glad you came over.”

“That’s Ashley’s file?” She eyed the thick manila folder with some trepidation. 

“It is. Her academic and her probationary one. I’ll be honest, Regina, it’s not good.” She winced slightly. “I don’t even know if Ashley will be able to graduate.” 

Regina’s hands clenched around her wine glass and she took a slightly larger than polite mouthful. “Oh god. I knew it was bad but…”

“Here’s the basic breakdown. Ashley has English, World Religions, Gym and Music.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “She cannot be failing Music.”

“She isn’t. In fact she has 96% in that class. She has almost perfect attendance for Music, she submits all the homework assignments and her grades on those assignments are usually perfect. And you know Tiff doesn’t grade easy just because it’s music class. No one is denying that Ashley clearly has a gift, Regina.” Kathryn’s voice had gone soft. “But it isn’t enough to help her graduate.” 

“What about her other classes?”

Kathryn flipped open the folder and pulled out a printed transcript. “She has 50% in Gym, 46% in World Religions and 34% in English.”

Regina just shook her head and sighed. “She’s not unintelligent, Kathryn.” She still felt the need to defend Ashley.

“Again, no one is saying that. But attendance equals about ten percent of a final grade and Music is the only class that Ashley seriously goes to. She hands in no assignments and doesn’t study so she usually fails or takes zeros on tests as well.” She pulled out another sheet of paper. “Now, this is the worst Ashley has let her grades go. I’ve looked at her credits and if she passes all four classes, and all four classes of next semester she could graduate with the rest of her class.”

“Okay.” Regina nodded seriously. “How do we make that happen?”

“I don’t know if we can, Regina.” Kathryn’s voice was apologetic. “She could keep her gym grade at a pass by showing up to every class for the remainder of the semester. Fred actually told me that Ashley is pretty athletic when she cares enough to participate.”

Something about the remark struck a chord with Regina. “I think Ashley runs.”

“What?” Kathryn seemed surprised. 

“No, never mind. What about her other two classes?”

“That’s going to be the problem. Especially English. In World Religions if Ashley attends every class, hands in the final assignment and writes and the final exam and does exceptional on both of them she could theoretically pass. But English, even with the attendance and a perfect exam she’ll still be at a failing grade.”

“What about extra credit? That’s offered isn’t it?” Regina was grasping at straws.

“Technically yes, but it’s at the teachers discretion.” Kathryn explained. “I can’t force the teachers to offer extra credit because it’s more work for them as well. And Ashley has alienated all of her teachers. Only Tiff had decent things to say about Ashley and that’s because Ashley chooses not to bother her. Her other teachers, Ms. Fa and Ms. de Vil, have a long list of complaints about her.” Kathryn pulled out another sheet of paper. “Her general attitude, swearing in class, belligerence, the list goes on and on. And that’s not to mention recent reports of Ashley being hungover or intoxicated.” Kathryn tried to say it gently. 

“I know.” Regina’s voice was low. “I know it’s bad, Kat. I…I actually,” she drained her wine glass, “I did research on a teenage rehabilitation clinic.”

“Really? Regina, I think that might be your best option. Would she go?”

“She’s a minor, she’d have no choice.” Regina was staring off at the wall. 

“Did you talk to her about it? It would be for her own good, you know.”

Regina knew Kathryn was trying not to sound pushy. “I was going to. I was really going to. I had the paperwork printed and everything.”

“And?”

“And then she came home sober.” Regina shrugged helplessly. “Or, not sober, she’d only had some beers. And she _admitted_ to having a few beers.”

“Regina.” Kathryn’s voice was chiding and it got Regina’s back up.

“I know, Kathryn. But you didn’t see her. She was standing there saying she was mad at me for something. But she said it calmly and rationally. She said…she said she had decided to start making different choices.”

Kathryn reached out and touched her hand. “Regina I know you want to believe the best in Ashley, and it’s admirable. It really is. But how many times have you been down this road? How many times have you told me Ashley has lied or broken a promise?”

“I know.” Regina exclaimed for what felt like the twelfth time. “And I even told her that. But then today she got up at a decent time and got herself ready.” Regina’s eyes were almost watering. “And she agreed to have a day with Henry. I was standing right there, ready to pick Henry back up when she let him down again but she didn’t. They were curled up on the couch watching a movie and talking comic books when I left. Ashley hasn’t willingly spent time with Henry in a year.” Regina’s voice was desperate. “I just feel like this time is different. I can’t explain it. I just _feel_ it.”

“Then I hope it is, Regina.” Kathryn’s voice was honest. “I really, truly, hope that this time is different. But in case it’s not I wouldn’t throw out those rehab papers just yet.” 

** 

For the second time today Emma walked into Granny’s diner. This time she was actually dressed and not sweating all over the place. She had her laptop bag slung over her shoulder and she smiled when she saw Ruby already pouring her a coffee and motioning to the back corner booth. “Thanks, Red.”

“Any time. Lunch?” Ruby opened her notepad. “I’ve never seen you eat so I’m bringing you actual food whether you order it or not.”

“In that case, grilled cheese with bacon on it.”

“You got it, Ems.” Ruby walked away and Emma opened her laptop. Her boss at Amherst wanted an update about her investigation into Rusty Roof; she still cringed internally whenever she read the man’s name. Emma pulled up an e-mail and starting compiling her evidence into a brief report for her boss.

_“August,_

_I believe I have located Mr. Roof. His long-time girlfriend Vanessa has an aunt, Ms. Adele Squire, that lives in the Androscoggin County area of Maine. I received word back from the Hydro Company that in the last week Squire’s average utility and water usage has increased by 13%. I believe this to be due to Rusty and Vanessa both staying in her home. I placed a call in with a neighbour under the guise of searching for a rent scam. The neighbour concluded that she believed Squire had a woman and a man staying with her for the last week although she only ever saw the man once when they left Sunday morning for church. I plan to stakeout Squire’s residence tomorrow morning and if I witness Rusty leaving her home I will execute the re-arrest at the church premises. I will update you further tomorrow morning on-_

“Here you go, Ems.” Ruby set down her sandwich and Emma’s stomach growled. “Guess you were hungry.”

“A little bit.” Emma reached for the ketchup but eyed Ruby with interest when the waitress didn’t back away. “Red?”

“About what you did…earlier this morning-”

Emma cut her off. “Ruby, I apologize if I made an inappropriate scene in your workplace this morning, I just-”

“No.” Now Ruby cut her off. “I was actually going to say that you were right. I mean, not many people are brave enough to speak openly about the mayor but everyone talks about Ashley.” She shrugged a little helplessly. “I told you, everyone knows everyone’s business in this town. But you were right, they shouldn’t be talking about a kid like that.”

“No they shouldn’t have.” Emma agreed. “I could have handled it better, though.”

Ruby laughed. “Maybe they needed a wake-up call. I mean I think your threat of telling Regina what they had been saying about her worked pretty well.”

“Good afternoon, dear.” 

Ruby jumped and spun around to find the mayor herself, eyebrow arched and arms crossed, standing behind her. “Madam Mayor! Hi, hello. Um, usual lunch order?”

“What were you saying, dear?” Regina’s voice was absolutely no-nonsense but instead of scaring her, like it did Ruby, it made Emma smirk. 

“Me? Saying? No. Um,”

“Red, can I get a re-fill?” Emma interrupted. Ruby took her coffee mug and basically fled. “Madam Mayor, won’t you join me? Ruby seems like she’ll need a minute to get your order together.” For a second Emma thought Regina would refuse; the brunettes body language was tense and uncomfortable and Emma was about to retract her offer when the mayor finally nodded and sat across from Emma. The blonde quickly shut her laptop and pushed it aside. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt your work, Ms. Swan.”

Emma waved a careless hand. “It’s fine, I was just updating my boss about a case. And please, Emma.”

Regina looked uncomfortable for another second but she did extend the same courtesy after a moment. “Regina.” The brunette then looked down in distaste at the meal Emma was happily munching. “Apparently you don’t care so much about your cholesterol.”

Emma shrugged. “I know Spence told you we don’t cook. Like ever. So if we’re eating unhealthy it’s due to the nature of the takeout in your town.” She finished with a smirk. Regina arched an eyebrow in challenge.

“Or it’s due to the nature of the things you order off the menu. You could have ordered a chicken salad wrap, for instance.”

Emma pouted like a child. “But melty cheese and bacon is so good.” She drew the word out and smiled when she saw Regina fighting her own grin. 

“If you say so, dear.” Regina sat up a little straighter and Emma thought she was preparing herself for an inquisition. “So what was Ms. Lucas talking about when I arrived?”

The blonde took another bite of her sandwich to give herself a moment to think. Regina was not a foolish woman and clearly she knew what the town thought about her niece. And while Emma hadn’t seen it for herself it seemed that their relationship was tumultuous and complicated. She didn’t want to do anything to make things harder on either brunette but she figured Regina deserved the truth. “Spencer and I were in here this morning early after our run. There was a table of women gossiping away about you and Ashley.” She noticed Regina’s hardened expression. “I just told them to mind their own business and that grown women shouldn’t gossip about kids.” Emma shrugged as she downplayed the incident. The growing smirk on Regina’s lips let her know that the brunette wasn’t fooled.

“You explained that to them calmly, hmm?”

“Yup.” Emma used a couple of napkins to get the grease off her fingers. “It just, really bothered me, I dunno. Spencer had just told me all about hanging out with Ashley and how great the night was and then these batty old women are ripping apart a teenager, I don’t know. It wasn’t right.”

Regina had sat up straighter. “Spencer told you all about the party?”

Emma knew she was treading in very dangerous waters. She would never betray the trust of her sister but she didn’t want to get Ashley in trouble either. However, she knew as a guardian that Regina had rights as well. “She did. Said she had a blast. She couldn’t believe that Ashley knew her favourite band and sang a song to her. Like, actually had a mic and gave a mini performance sang to her.”

“Yes, well. Ashley does have a musical gift. Did Spencer also inform you that there was alcohol at this little hangout?”

“Yes, she did.” Emma read Regina’s shocked face easily. “Spencer and I don’t keep secrets from each other.” Emma was interrupted when Ruby came and brought out Regina’s lunch order in a take-out bag. “Madam Mayor!” She feigned playful shock. “Ordering take-out, why I never.” Regina arched an eyebrow. “It’s a chicken salad wrap, isn’t it?”

“With a house salad and dressing on the side.” Regina actually laughed when Emma dramatically rolled her eyes. 

“I need to introduce you to good food.”

“And apparently I need to introduce you to good, healthy foods before you make Spencer’s eating habits any worse.” Regina hesitated. “When you said you and Spencer have no secrets from each other…”

“I meant it. Spence tells me everything. She told me exactly how much she drank at the party last night. I trusted her to police her intake and not overindulge and she trusted me to trust her. That’s why she told me.”

“You know alcohol is illegal for minors.” Regina stated in a flat voice.

“I’m aware, thank you.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Here’s how I see it. They’re teenagers and they’re going to do things. That’s completely unavoidable. I taught Spencer about alcohol and the dangers to it but I also taught her about the good side to moderated alcohol. The social lubricant and the ice breaker, for example. Now, when Spencer went to her first party alcohol wasn’t some mysterious, cool thing. It was just alcohol. It also wasn’t the fuck you to authority that most teenagers drink for. If she’s going to drink anyway, and she’s a teenager so she probably will, I’d rather her be safe and knowledgeable and tell me about it.”

Regina blinked.

“Besides, it’s about maturity and responsibility more than a number. In Canada the drinking age is 19. In Spain and some locations in Europe its only 17. China and Indonesia have no minimum age restriction on alcohol at all. Spencer is an extremely responsible and mature young woman so I trust her.” Emma shrugged again. “I don’t know how else to explain it. We’re close and we have a trusting relationship. I don’t treat her like a child so she doesn’t act like one.”

“Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?”

Now Emma blinked and Regina backpedaled immediately. “I meant you and Spencer. Would you and Spencer like to come to the mansion for dinner tonight. But I’m sorry, that was inappropriate-”

“No-”

“No?”

“I meant no that wasn’t inappropriate. And yes. Spencer and I would love to come to dinner tonight. You did say you’d have to introduce us to good food that’s supposedly healthy.”

“I did say that. Alright then. 7 o’clock?”

“Sounds great. Do you need us to bring anything?”

“No, just yourselves.” Regina smiled lightly and then seemed to shake herself out of it. “Right, well I need to go back to the office.”

“It’s Saturday?”

“You seemed to be working as well, Ms. Swan.” Regina remarked.

“Touché. I will see you at 7 then.”

“Yes you will.” Emma absolutely tried not to watch Regina walk away from her and out of the diner

She failed.

** 

Ashley was still humming when she got out of her Porsche. She’d parked it in the library parking lot but she bypassed the library completely. The back of the library and the back of the restaurant on the other side, away from their patio, led to a closed in, square of dead space that had been turned into a courtyard. With the tall bricked view of the library on two sides and the back of the restaurant on the other it led to almost no one taking advantage of the space and it being forgotten about.

That was when the teenage youth of Storybrooke had taken it over. There was only one entrance to their little hangout and it was away from Maine Street. Teenagers for years had been smuggling old furniture down the narrow pathway and it had become a veritable clubhouse. 

A group of teens before Ashley’s time had actually built a rollout tarp as a canopy meaning their furniture didn’t get disgusting when it rained. A few older couches, love seats and a dozen folding chairs were set up around the perimeter along with several beaten up old coffee tables. Ashley had donated her old speaker system and it was in a locked, old toolbox stand that Aiden had pilfered off his father. Only Aiden, Madison and Ashley had keys to get at the speaker but as they’d both beaten her there music was already playing softly as she ducked under the loose boards that blocked the end of the pathway. “Hey hey.” Ashley smiled as she plunked down on a love seat beside Aiden. 

He gave her a happy grin though Ashley could still see the remnants of the hangover around his eyes. Madison was standing and practising some dance moves over by the speaker. “What, no hello for me, _chica_?” Ashley mocked the Latina’s accent good naturedly.

“Oh, you’re talking to us now?” Madison snarked.

“What?” Ashley’s eyes automatically narrowed. 

“Maddy, don’t.” Aiden sighed.

“No, Aiden.” Ashley laughed. “She got something to say to me she can say it.” Ashley wanted to growl under her breath. _And I’ve been having such a good weekend._

“I’m just saying you completely and utterly ditched us last night. I know how the famous Ashley Davies gets when she wants in someone’s pants but that was a bit much.”

Ashley’s teeth came together with a click. “I didn’t ditch you, I was just hanging with Spencer.”

“Hanging off of Spencer, don’t you mean?” Madison smirked. “I usually don’t mind because you have no problem fucking a girl in the bathroom in three minutes but you never gave up last night. Or, was it blondie who wouldn’t _give it up_?” 

“Watch it Madison.” Ashley warned. She sat up a little straighter when Madison scoffed. 

“This is what I’m talking about! We’re your friends, Ashley, and the only real ones you’ve got. You normally don’t care what we say about whatever chick is next on the Ashley hit it and quit it list.”

“She’s not on my list.” Ashley now stood. “I wasn’t trying to bang her.”

Madison laughed in her face and now Aiden, likely sensing trouble, stood too. “Oh my god, Ashley, you’ve never tried so hard to fuck someone in your life. I never thought I’d see the day Ashley Davies was whipped when she wasn’t even getting any.”

“I mean it, Madison. Lay off of Spencer. I wasn’t trying to bang her in the bathroom like some cheap whore.” 

Madison’s taunting smile dropped instantly. Ashley knew it was a low-blow; Ashley had slept with Madison in the cabin’s bathroom more than once. “Unbelievable. You’re going to turn your back on your friends for some blonde who’s been here one day?”

“I’m not turning my back on you. Jesus.” Ashley was getting frustrated. “I can’t hang out with people other than you?”

“You were completely different last night, Ash. Even Aiden thought so.” The jock raised his hands in defence. 

“Woah, now. I said she seemed different, I didn’t say it was bad thing.” 

“You were the one that thought I was drinking too much.” Ashley ignored Aiden. “You were the one concerned about my liver and shit. So I finally have fun at a party without being shitfaced and now you have a problem? That doesn’t even make sense.”

“That’s my point! It doesn’t make sense. Your friends try to stop you from killing yourself and just have fun for years and some blonde chick can do it in a night? You weren’t like Ashley Davies at all last night, even when you’re not shitfaced.”

“Fuck you.” Ashley finally snapped. “Fuck you and your jealousy. You know what happened? I decided for myself to make different decisions and it had nothing to do with Spencer.”

“Bullshit.”

“Fuck this, I’m out. When you want to talk without being a jealous bitch, let me know.” Ashley stormed back up the pathway. 

“I’m not the only one saying this, Ashley.” Madison called to her back. “I’m just the only one who will say it to your face. Everyone is talking about how the great Ashley Davies finally got brought down by a pussy.”

Ashley whirled around. “I fucking mean it, Madison, enough.” Something on her face must have looked dangerous because Aiden actually stepped in between them like he might have to pull the two girls apart. “Do _not_ talk about Spencer. And anyone who wants to say that Ashley fucking Davies is a whipped bitch can go fuck themselves.”

“Prove it then.” Madison sneered. “Add blondie to your collection and prove you’re not a bitch.”

Ashley clenched her teeth and then forced herself to take a deep breath. She wanted to explode. She wanted to take that bet to shut her up. She wanted to lunge for her. It wouldn’t be the first time that Aiden had interrupted a catfight. Madison probably expected it by this point. _You are not only the sum of your mistakes. You are a person who makes choices._ “You know what, no.” _Choose to make different ones._ “I’m gonna stick with fuck you. And if you think I’m that easy to manipulate than you’re dumber than you look. Stop trying to create drama when there isn’t any. It’s a little pathetic.” Ashley gave her a smirk and walked out. 

**

Regina was shocked when Ashley came in the front door humming and chuckling to herself. Her niece’s good mood from this morning seemed to be still in effect. “Ashley?”

The humming stopped and Regina could swear she heard the teenager groan. “Yeah?”

Regina was in the midst of cooking and her kitchen was controlled and organized but there was ingredients and utensils everywhere. Regina assumed that Ashley’s annoyance was because she still didn’t want to talk to her. “Sorry.” Regina paused; she wasn’t entirely sure what she was apologizing about. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m having company over for dinner.” Ashley’s face dropped.

“Got it. I’ll make myself scarce.” She turned away and Regina reached out a hand to stop her instinctively even though she was over ten feet away.

“Wait, no, that’s not what I meant. Why would you think that?” 

Ashley shuffled awkwardly at the question. “I don’t know, whatever.”

The older brunette chose to let it go. “Alright. Well, I just wanted to let you know so you’d be prepared. Dinner is at 7.”

“I’ll pass, but thanks.” Ashley nodded like that settled the matter and went to leave again. 

“Wait, Ashley-”

“What do you _want_ , Regina? Jesus.” Ashley snapped and Regina flinched. Her jaw set angrily. 

“I just wanted to know why you didn’t want to eat dinner with us, but never mind. I’d hate to have to explain your attitude to Ms. Swan.”

Ashley stopped dead. “You invited Emma Swan to dinner?”

“Yes.” Regina wasn’t looking at Ashley. “I invited Ms. Swan and her sister to dinner and they will be here at 7.”

“Wait, okay, scratch that, I will-”

“You will, what, Ashley?” Now Regina was on edge. “Now that you know who’s going to be here you’re suddenly having a change of heart? And a change of attitude?”

“Uh, yeah.” Ashley scowled. “I didn’t want to sit down to dinner with people that hate me but the Swan’s don’t so all good.” 

“No, not all good, Ashley. I’ve been trying to talk to you about this for days. I didn’t want to tonight because we’re having company but then you flash that attitude and here we are.” 

“What do you not get about _I don’t want to talk to you?_ ”

“What do you not understand about you are a minor living under my roof and you have to follow my rules?” Regina shot back.

Ashley let out a frustrated growl. “Do you take some kind of pleasure in shitting all over my good mood?”

“Do you take some kind of pleasure in purposefully throwing my rules back in my face?”

“Stop doing that for fucks sake.”

“Ashley. Stop swearing in this house. I mean it.” Regina sighed. “Do you want to know what I spent my day doing, Ashley?” 

“Terrorizing the simple town folk and dolling out poisoned apples?”

Regina instantly busied herself and reached into the fridge so Ashley wouldn’t see her eyes welling with tears. “Never mind.” She eventually said as she took out milk and butter. “I can see you’re not interested in anything but a fight.” She let the conversation drop.

Regina, with a practiced and experienced hand, measured out baking powder and salt by eye and without a measuring spoon. She whisked it quickly with her flour and then added her butter. She’d removed all her jewelry before she started cooking so she had no problems placing her hands right in the mixture to combine it. She had to admit she was pulling out all the stops for this meal because she wanted to impress. She turned to the sink to rinse off her hands and Ashley speaking made her jump; she’d assumed the teen had stormed off. 

“Is that what you think? That I just like to fight?” 

Regina cleared her throat. “I think that you like to pick fights with me sometimes, yes. I think that sometimes you say things intentionally just to hurt me.”

Ashley said nothing but Regina was acutely aware that she was still standing there this time. She covered the dough for her butter biscuits in plastic and set it aside. She changed gears and started making the glaze for her chicken. Still, Ashley stood in the doorway and watched her. 

“Aunt Regina?”

“Yes?”

“I would like to be here for dinner with you, Henry and the Swans.”

Regina hesitated for one second but Ashley’s voice was calm. “I’ll set you a plate.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The exchange sounded robotic and forced but Regina didn’t know how to fix it. This time she heard Ashley’s boots on the hardwood floors and then ascending up the staircase. 

She was shocked when, instead of hearing the faint sound of Ashley slamming her bedroom door, she could hear Henry’s excited voice. _Had Ashley just gone to Henry’s room?_ She could hear them talking indistinctly but couldn’t make out their words. Part of her longed to go up the stairs and investigate but something held her back. She believed, in the very bottom of her soul, that the line Ashley wouldn’t cross was Henry. Ashley had pushed every button, broken every rule, hurt every person who had ever cared about her but she had never done anything intentionally to Henry. 

Regina had been forced to explain, more than one, to her little prince certain things about Ashley. In his mind Ashley had always been around and he had naturally thought that made her his sister. Regina hadn’t wanted to discourage him but Ashley had been absolutely adamant. Henry had also been disappointed by her, and let down by her, but never had she hurt him on purpose. 

That last little bit of faith in the younger brunette kept Regina in the kitchen while her kids, _her niece and her son_ , clearly plotted something.

** 

Spencer still wasn’t entirely sure how this dinner at the mayors mansion had really come about but she was pleased that it had. They had dressed in nice clothes and gone to get wine because Emma insisted that Regina’s house was fancy and it was probably a requirement. Spencer really was just happy to see Ashley again. Somehow after the party they hadn’t exchanged numbers. She was a little glad about that because she didn’t want to seem like that stereotypical new girl with the crush on the star quarterback. Except instead of a strapping young boy it was a devilishly attractive girl who notoriously slept around and apparently drank far more than she should.

_Still not really sure where I stand on that one._

The mansion was undeniably beautiful and perfectly maintained. Old Yeller in the driveway looked seriously out of place beside Regina’s Benz and Ashley’s Porsche. “You good kiddo?”

Spencer looked at her sister in surprise. “Are _you_? It’s just dinner.” She knocked on the door and Ashley answered it in seconds; Spencer was glad she’d dressed nicely. Ashley was wearing black slacks and white high heeled shoes that gave her an extra couple of inches. Her blouse was dark blue and she had a silky white scarf around her neck. She looked completely respectable and put together and Spencer thought she looked amazing. When Ashley turned her head Spencer noticed she kept a bit of her rocker vibe by having at least a dozen hoops and stud piercings in her ears going from the arch all the way down to the lobe. 

“C’mon in guys.” Ashley grinned and waved them forward and Spencer smiled reflexively. “Can I take your coats?”

“Such service.” Spencer teased. She removed her jean jacket and she watched Ashley’s eyes trail down her body. She was wearing a blue and white sundress with small yellow heels and knew she looked incredibly cute. 

Ashley took her jacket and then Emma’s red leather one and hung them nicely in the hall closet. “I don’t believe either of you have met my cousin, Henry.” Ashley turned and gestured to the young boy standing impatiently behind her. He was wearing tan trousers, a white collared shirt and a blue cardigan complete with a little bow-tie. 

“Pleased to meet you.” Henry nodded to himself like he’d gotten the prearranged phrase right. 

“Pleased to meet you as well, Henry.” Spencer smiled widely at his adorableness. “You are the best dressed young man I’ve ever seen.”

“Ashley dressed me.” Henry admitted without any hesitation. “I was in a Pokémon t-shirt when she came to my room.”

Spencer laughed when Ashley playfully smacked her own face and groaned.

“That’s okay kid.” Emma was the one to step forward. “I was in a Grateful Dead t-shirt until about fifteen minutes ago.

“What’s the Grateful Dead?” Henry asked immediately. 

“They are an amazing American rock band.” Ashley answered promptly. “They played heavy rock but they also added elements of psychedelia, country, folk and even jazz into their music. I’ll show them to you, little dude.”

“I don’t know how I feel about my son becoming a Deadhead.” Regina’s voice broke in and everyone looked up at her. Ashley’s jaw was dropped. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I just heard the word Deadhead come out of our mouth, aunt Regina.”

The mayor rolled her eyes playfully. “I live to impress. Henry, will you and Ashley set the table please. Can I get you a drink Ms. Swan? Cider?”

“Sure. And I thought we had agreed on Emma.”

Spencer followed Ashley into the kitchen intending to help set the table but she glanced back to see Emma following Regina across the room with her eyes. _Holy hell she has a thing for the mayor!_

Henry was talking to her and she forced her attention down to the boy as he asked her about her comic book preferences. 

“You didn’t have to help, dear.” Regina remarked when she came back into the kitchen with Emma in tow. 

“I didn’t mind. It smells divine in here, what did you make?”

“I made a glazed and roasted whole chicken with thyme and lemon, and then a vegetable medley with sweet butter biscuits.”

Both blondes blinked. “How?”

“How what, dear?”

“How did you make all that?”

Regina almost blushed and Spencer could tell she was glad they were impressed.

“Wait til you taste it.” Henry piped up. “Mom is the best cook ever.”

“Thank you, dear.” Regina stroked his hair lightly and Spencer noticed that Ashley turned away. It took a while to get them all settled at the table but eventually they were ready to eat. Spencer was beside her sister and across the table from Ashley. The younger brunette caught her eye and stuck her tongue out while rolling her eyes. 

The blondes both waited, not sure what to do exactly, and Ashley laughed. “Dig in. If you’re waiting for grace it isn’t coming.”

“Ashley.” Regina flushed. “If you’d like to say something?”

“No, no.” Emma chuckled now too. “I think we both just didn’t want to reach first.”

“By all means, reach.” Regina smiled warmly. When she looked like this Spencer couldn’t figure out why the town called her the Evil Queen. Or why Ashley had such problems with her. 

The food was incredible and Spencer had to force herself not to wolf her meal. It was a long engrained habit and she could clearly see Emma pacing herself too. 

“So.” Ashley broke the silence first. “What’s being a bounty hunter like? How does it work?”

“Bail bondsperson.” Emma corrected lightly. “And it’s pretty simple. When someone is arrested a lot of people can’t afford their bail. Bail is just money put on the line so the court knows you’re going to show up. When you can’t afford it you go to get a bail bond. A company puts up your bail, so you can get out of jail, and when you show to court and the bail is returned then you pay the company interest for putting up the money. And everyone wins. But if you skip court and jump bail then the bail bond company is on the hook for the bail. And obviously they don’t want that. So they said someone, like me, out to find the person, re-arrest them, and bring them back to show up in court.”

“What do you get out of hunting them down?” Ashley asked instantly. Regina chided her but Emma laughed it off.

“It’s fine. I get ten percent of whatever the original bail was set at. So for example, the bail of the guy I will hopefully catch tomorrow was set at $500,000.”

Ashley blinked. “Are you trying to tell me if you catch one dude you’re getting fifty thousand dollars tomorrow?”

“Pretty much.” Spencer grinned. “Thinking of a life as a bounty hunter Ash?”

“Jesus Christ, maybe.”

“It’s not as glamourous as it sounds.” Emma admitted. “It’s not like I catch a bail jumper worth half a million every week.”

“Still. Got any cool bounty hunter stories?”

Spencer watched her sister entertain the room with stories that were still Henry age appropriate. She watched Regina politely eat and try to contain her laughter. Ashley wasn’t as refined and laughed loudly and smiled wide whenever she pleased. Seeing them like this Spencer almost thought the contrast was startling. 

“So how old were you when you got your tattoo, Spence?” Spencer almost jumped because she’d zoned out slightly. 

“Oh, uh, last year.”

“You have a tattoo, Miss Swan?” Regina’s eyebrow was arched. 

“Mhmm.” Spencer turned in her chair slightly so that Regina could see the amount of skin her dress exposed. Some of her swan was visible and she moved her hair aside so Regina could see the head of it at the back of her neck.

“I see. And you allowed this?” Regina directed at Emma. 

Emma grinned sheepishly. “I couldn’t exactly judge.” The sleeves on her black dress shirt had been down all evening but she pushed the sleeves up now. Spencer watched Regina’s eyes almost bulge in concern. She wasn’t sure how the classy woman would react to Emma’ tattoos. 

“That’s so cool.” Ashley grinned. “Which one was the most painful?” Regina chided her again but Emma said it was fine. She unbuttoned her shirt, exposing the tank top she wore underneath, and slipped out of it. 

“This one.” She laid her right arm flat on the table and pointed it out. Right in the crook of her elbow she had a bat cave. The very centre was an inky black hole and then slowly the walls of the rocky cavern could be seen until it was a full cave. Bats hung from the ceiling and a group of them were flying out into the night sky. One bat, the biggest one, along the bottom of the tattoo had its wings spread out wide. “Hands down the most painful one. They call this the ditch in the tattoo world. If you check out a lot of sleeve tattoos you’ll notice there isn’t any ink right here, or there’s not a lot of detail in it because it’s excruciating to sit for.” 

“I always wanted a lower back tattoo.” Ashley said wistfully; Regina arched an eyebrow and Ashley sighed. “I know, I _know_. I didn’t say I was going right out to get one.” 

Spencer was a little shocked because she thought Ashley’s tone was a little sharp for simple dinner conversation. Emma clearly sensed it as well because she got Henry’s attention. “Hey kid, you know what this is?” Emma turned her arm around awkwardly to show Henry the back of her left arm. 

“That’s the Master Sword!” Henry exclaimed in excitement. When the two brunettes failed to react Henry gave a long suffering sigh. “From Legend of Zelda? Guys!” The lone boy at the table groaned and playfully banged his head into the table. “No one understands me.”

Most of the women chuckled but Emma met his eye with a wink. “I got your back, kid.”

Spencer was grateful to her sister for glossing over the awkward moment. Regina, as it turns out, had also made a trifle and the blondes were in heaven. They tried to eat politely but they had never had such a home-cooked meal before. When dessert was done and the blondes dutifully helped with the dishes Ashley slid up beside Spencer. “C’mon, I got something to show you.” Spencer noticed Henry was absorbed in a handheld video game and that Regina was pouring wine for her and Emma. She smiled lightly at the intense way Emma listened to whatever Regina was quietly murmuring. 

“Sure.” Ashley led her up the staircase to the second floor and headed down the hallway. She tried to catch a glimpse around the mansion but every door was kept shut and other than the paintings on the walls there wasn’t much to look at. 

Spencer guessed where Ashley was taking her and she turned out to be correct when she opened a door near the end of the hall and Spencer’s jaw dropped at the music room. The focal point of the space was the beautiful, glossy black baby grand piano in the middle of the room. Around the perimeter, each with their own stands, were various other instruments. Spencer could see several guitars, both acoustic and electric, as well as a variety of other string instruments. Another wall held a horn section and there was even a drum kit in the corner. “Oh my god this is incredible.” Spencer hadn’t seen so many musical instruments in her life. 

“You like?”

“Oh my god. This is insane. Ashley how did you afford all these?”

Ashley gave a careless shrug. “Well my parents are filthy rich and they keep my bank account loaded for whatever I want. But Regina also always really encouraged music so she bought a lot of them. The piano was a gift for my fourteenth birthday.”

“Interesting.” Spencer said lightly. She couldn’t imagine how Ashley’s and Regina’s relationship was so tumultuous when she was standing in a room full of thousands of dollars of musical instruments and equipment that Regina apparently bought just to encourage music. 

“Pick up anything you want.” Ashley offered with a smile, though Spencer noticed her toeing at the carpet with her shoe. 

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” The words were quick. “What do you want to see? Violin? Cello?” 

“I want you to play me the piano.” 

Ashley agreed easily and when she sat down at the bench Spencer settled beside her. “You know Ash, this is a scene straight out of a cheesy rom-com.”

Ashley smirked. “Would you like me to play you a cheesy love song then?”

“Depends. How many girls have you wooed with the piano?”

“Zero.” 

Spencer could see the truth in her shy, nervous expression. “Then yes. Play me a cheesy love song.” 

Ashley placed her hands on the keys and Spencer watched Ashley change. It was the same as when Ashley had stepped up onto the wooden platform to sing her the Fratellis; she became someone else when she performed. 

_Or it’s the only time she really is herself._

The brunette effortlessly, without sheet music, began a slow and calm intro. She played for a moment and Spencer fell into the calm atmosphere Ashley was creating. When Ashley started to sing Spencer had been watching her hands but suddenly she couldn’t look away from her face. The brunette had closed her eyes and she continued to caress the piano perfectly. 

_“Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain_  
_Once or twice was enough and it was all in vain_  
_Time starts to pass, before you know it you're frozen_  
_But something happened for the very first time with you_  
_My heart melted to the ground, found something true_  
_And everyone's looking round thinking I'm going crazy”_

Spencer knew without a doubt that Ashley would one day be famous. One day she would stand in front of millions and pour her heart out because there was simply no other alternative. Spencer was completely transfixed and she didn’t want to even blink.

_“But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you_  
_They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth_  
_My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing_  
_You cut me open and I_  
_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_  
_I keep bleeding_  
_I keep, keep bleeding love_  
_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_  
_You cut me open”_

Ashley played the chorus differently and she somehow managed to coax a completely different sound out of the instrument. Spencer could feel her anger and her pain and her eyes started to well with tears.

_“Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud_  
_Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt_  
_Yet I know that their goal is to keep me from falling_  
_But nothing's greater than the risk that comes with your embrace_  
_And in this world of loneliness, I see your face_  
_Yet everyone around me thinks that I'm going crazy_  
_Maybe, maybe”_

The brunette played the chorus again and this time Spencer couldn’t help but reach out and touch her. She gently placed her fingertips on Ashley’s back. She kept her hand high, where her shoulder blade met her neck, and her touch gentle. Ashley leaned into the instrument and moved as she played and Spencer was loathe to disrupt her. 

_“But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you_  
_They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth_  
_My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing_  
_You cut me open and I_  
_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love…”_

Ashley repeated the final chorus several times and her playing and singing got softer each time. Finally, when she only barely pressed the keys she allowed her fingers to slip from ivory. Now that she wasn’t playing the shy, slightly awkward Ashley took back over and her hands idly fiddled in her lap.

Spencer found the sight adorable and she leaned over to press her lips to Ashley’s cheek. She heard the slight hitch in Ashley’s breath and smiled against silky soft skin. When she pulled away Ashley was beaming. 

“I don’t know if I consider that a cheesy love song,” Spencer teased, “but it was beautiful. You have such a gift, Ashley.”

“Yeah.” Ashley blushed a little. “Maybe not cheesy but I generally just play whatever is on my mind. Um, glad you liked it though.”

“I did. So, Ashley…”

“Uh oh. Don’t like that tone.” Ashley clearly tried to put on a false bravado but Spencer could see that she was nervous. 

“I like you, Ashley. Or I guess I should say I like some versions of you that I’ve seen. I think that _this_ you is adorable and so cute. And I think the you I met at the party was also adorkable somehow but also fun and so, so sexy.” 

“Yeah?” Ashley smirked and Spencer rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be stupid, you know you’re sexy. But, the you I first met? The one drunk on a Thursday morning?”

“Wait, can I say something first?” Ashley interrupted. “Look. I know that you’ve heard my reputation. Yes I drink too much and I do sleep around. I’m pretty easy, to be honest.”

“Ashley-”

“But. I’m also…angry. And disappointed. And…hurt, or whatever. Honestly the first person that made me really think about what I was doing was your sister. So, I’ve been trying to be better. I’ve been trying to make different choices. And I’ve been pretty good, I think. I mean, it’s been like one day so… But normally at a party I’d be guaranteed to sleep with someone.” She swallowed thickly and looked away. “Sometimes even two different girls. Sometimes I’m so drunk I don’t remember.”

“Ashley, if I’m cramping your style of whatever-”

“No! No, you’re not. That’s my point. I’m trying to do things differently. With you, yes, but also with my life in general. Your sister…Emma, I don’t know, she saw me. She saw something in me and it just…hit home I guess. I know it might not seem like it because you’ve known me for like one minute, but I’ve been different. I want…I want people to give me a _chance_ to be different.”

“I think that’s incredible, Ashley. I would never have told you to change for me, because that doesn’t work. You shouldn’t change for anyone, you don’t change for a chance with someone, that’s ridiculous. You change for yourself. It just so happens to be bonus that the person you’re becoming I happen to like.”

“Good.” Ashley smiled and then looked quizzical. “So, what exactly did we decide here?”

“Oh my god, you’re adorable. We decided that we’re going to take things slow. That you need to work on yourself, for yourself, before you do anything for anyone else. But, while, you’re doing that, I’ll be here to help you however I can. Whatever Emma saw in you Ash, I can see it too.”

“Wish a few other people did.”

“Well, you haven’t exactly helped yourself.” Spencer was blunt and Ashley pouted. Spencer flicked her bottom lip with her finger. “Don’t pout, it’s true.”

“I know. Emma said something about that too. About taking blame where it’s deserved, but only where it’s deserved.”

“Sounds like Emma.”

“Also, is it just me or is your sister totally crushing on my aunt?”

Spencer laughed. “She is definitely crushing on your aunt.”

** 

“So where exactly did the kids sneak off to?”

“Hopefully the music room and not Ashley’s bedroom.” Regina whirled around, wine glass in hand. “Oh my God, I did not mean that like it sounded. I meant because her room is a disaster, not-”

“Regina.” Emma chuckled a little at her; it was the first time she’d seen her flustered. “Relax. It’s fine.”

“Okay. I apologize.” Regina said again and Emma accepted her own wine glass.

“So Ashley has a music room, that’s pretty amazing.”

“She’s very gifted.” 

Emma could tell that it was a touchy subject. “Spencer’s gift has always laid in writing. When she was younger she’d doodle skits and stories down onto anything. I learned to always have a notebook on hand. Lately it’s been screenplays. I swear she wrote a whole movie script on the drive out here.”

Regina smiled and started to relax again. “Henry writes a lot too. He was into writing fairy tales and now it’s superheroes.”

“Well, yeah. Superheroes are cool.” Emma chuckled a little. 

“Emma, I wanted to thank you.” 

Emma arched an eyebrow. “What for?”

“Everything, it seems like. And I don’t know how you’ve managed it because you’ve been here one day.” Regina took a small sip and Emma just waited. “Ashley…well, I’m sure it didn’t even take you a day to hear all about Ashley and I.”

“I don’t really listen to gossip.” Emma shrugged. “I don’t like people butting into our lives when they don’t know the whole story so I try not to do the same thing to others. It really sucks when people judge and gossip about you for something personal. You know, like moving around a lot…”

Regina gave an embarrassed smile and gestured Emma into her study. “Point taken, Ms. Swan. I’m sorry I sent the Sheriff to find out about you.”

“Ah, she admits it.” Emma snickered and the brunette rolled her eyes. 

“You interrupted me.” 

“My apologies.” Emma waved her hand forward.

“I just, thank you. Ashley, said she wanted to make different choices. She didn’t come home completely wasted and apparently the party wasn’t as wild as I imagine some of the others were. We actually…spoke, I suppose, instead of fighting.” Regina seemed to mentally put on armour as she spoke so Emma couldn’t tell her expression. 

“If Ashley is choosing to make different choices, then the gratitude should go to her. Will you also?”

“I don’t know what you’re implying?” Regina voice was sharp.

“I wasn’t implying anything. I just asked if you’ll make different choices as well.”

“Meaning my choices thus far have been wrong?” Regina was instantly on the defence and Emma was a little stunned.

“No, Regina. Calm down. I was just asking a question. It takes two people to have a relationship. If you don’t like the one you have both people should probably do things differently.” 

“Ashley is a teenager. I don’t know what wishy washy parenting skills you’ve adopted but teenagers need rules.”

Emma grit her teeth and tried very hard not to outwardly show her anger or her offence at the comment. There had been a time, perhaps, when Emma would have exploded. Where she would have snapped back and said something equally negative about Regina’s parenting skills. 

She was no longer that person, though. She knew that Regina wasn’t speaking out of spite, but rather fear. So instead she did what she did best; she used her infinite patience and waited Regina out. 

After a moment the brunette took another sip of wine and sighed. “I apologize. That was extremely rude of me.”

“Regina. I never said that teenagers don’t need rules. Of course they do. And I’m not sure how many times you’ve had to defend yourself from the people of this town, but I wasn’t judging or attacking. I was literally just asking a question.”

“I know, no, I’m sorry. Ashley is…” Regina once again struggled and Emma wondered when the last time Regina had truly opened up to someone was. “It’s a very touchy subject.”

“If you want to talk, I’m here.” Emma repeated her offer. Regina stayed quiet and Emma decided to extend an olive branch. “When Spencer was 13 we were living in St. Louis. I normally don’t like big cities but there’s more bail jumpers in them so we made a decision to try it out.” Emma still hated thinking back to that particular day. “Spencer and I have a rule now. We never, ever, leave each other angry. When we do fight, or argue, we do not leave each other’s side until we’ve either calmed down and settled it or mutually agreed to table it. We were,” Emma cleared her throat uncomfortable, “we were in the Galleria mall. It’s a pretty big mall. God, you know, now I can’t even remember what we were arguing about? I think she wanted something I couldn’t afford. And telling a teenage girl who was the only kid in class without one was apparently such an outrage. I closed my eyes for like one second.” Emma wasn’t looking at the brunette, she was watching the inside of her wine glass. “I think I was looking up actually. Just in complete exasperation. And when I looked down she was gone.” 

“What did you do?” Regina’s voice was soft.

“What any parent would do.” Emma spoke equally as softly. “I absolutely panicked. I called for her, yelled for her. Called her cellphone 25 times. Ran up and down the stretch of mall we’d been walking. I had mall security in like 5 minutes.” 

“That must have been awful.”

“It was. We found her, of course. She was pissed and fine. Then embarrassed I’d panicked so hard.”

“They don’t get it, do they? The panic we feel?” Regina was looking out the window but Emma knew she wasn’t seeing it.

“I don’t think they can.”

Regina after a moment turned back to the blonde. “What happened after that?”

“Spencer swore she had said something to me as she walked away. That she was leaving. I swore she didn’t. Doesn’t matter I suppose. I explained the seriousness to Spence about disappearing on me. She explained her feelings in wanting to be away from me when she was upset. Then we made the rule. No walking away mad. If she wants to walk away we have to agree to table it so that she can tell me where she’s going and what she’s doing.” The blonde shrugged. “We haven’t had a problem since.” 

“You guys have a very admirable relationship.”

“Thank you. May I say something without you getting angry and defensive?”

Regina paused like she was seriously thinking about it. “I suppose.”

“Look. Ashley makes some bad decisions. You know it, the town knows it, and everyone knows it. But what I find is really important, is that _Ashley_ knows it. She knows her decision are sometimes crap and she does it anyway.” 

“Your point being she has bad judgement?”

Emma almost laughed. “No, Regina. My point being that if she’s choosing to make those decisions anyway there’s a reason for it. She’s angry and upset.”

“Of course she’s angry.”

“Well, do you know the reason?” Regina opened her mouth, Emma assumed to give an automatic stock answer, but she stopped herself. Emma nodded in approval. “I think you should find out. Don’t guess, or assume, really find out what she’s angry and hurt about. It might help.”

“You think so, hmm?” Regina was now the one smirking. “And just what are you, Ms. Swan, a teenage whisperer?”

“Practically.” Emma tried not to think about how many toddlers, children and teens she’d dealt with in her life. “It was just a suggestion.”

“Well, thank you.” Regina’s tone said the conversation was closed and Emma knew she’d pushed enough. _Why are you pushing all at, Swan?_

“You know, I didn’t know until tonight you had quite so many tattoos.” 

Emma smirked. “Would I not have received a dinner invite if you had?”

“I resent the implication that I would judge you based on your appearance, Ms. Swan. Although,” the devilish smirk she gave now startled Emma because the blonde had seen it before Ashley, “I had to try real hard not to judge your hideous, red leather jacket.”

Emma gasped. “Excuse me. The only thing worse than judging my jacket would be judging my car!” Regina blinked. “Oh my god, you’ve judged my car. I’ll have you know me and that car go way back, Regina.” The brunette was holding back laughter now and Emma rolled her eyes. “That’s it, I don’t think we can be friends anymore Regina. You don’t like my jacket or my car…this friendship is just never going to survive.”

“Is that what we have, Ms. Swan?” Regina was idly tracing her finger around the rim of her glass. “A friendship?” 

“Sure. If you could use one.” 

“I think I could.”

“Good.” Emma caught the shy glance between them and smiled. 

_Now Swan, just remember that friends don’t think about kissing every single inch of their friends body._

Regina shifted slightly in her arm chair and Emma was drawn again to the little black dress Regina was wearing. It was completely appropriate but Emma’s eye followed the line from her delicate hand and wrist, up her surprisingly toned arm to the column of her throat, to the jaw line that could cut glass and the plump lips painted a dark plum colour.

_Okay. When their friends look like that they do._


	5. Rock Bottom

_Okay. You can do this Davies. This is fine. This is all fine. You’re cool, and suave, and this is not childish at all._

Ashley’s running pep talk had been about the same since she had gotten in the Porsche and left the mansion. Ashley had been both elated, _Spencer had kissed me!_ , and confused, _what did we decide we were again?_ , but all around she just wanted to see her. She had nearly whipped her new smartphone across the room when she realized that in a near fatal blunder she had failed, again, to get the blondes number. 

She had decided after nearly an hour of deliberation that she was just going to drive over to Spencer’s house. _And what, Davies, ask Emma if Spencer wants to come out and play?_ She almost turned the car around but she had already turned down Monroe and she feared them seeing her Porsche speeding away from the living room window or something. 

She was, for her, dressed quite down. She was in jeans and a clunky pair combat boots with a Mad Hatters band t-shirt and a leather jacket. She had a sort of gift for Emma in her back pocket and she had wondered if it was stupid the entire time since she’d grabbed it from her bedroom. 

Only the thought of Emma already having caught her pacing up their walkway once before kept Ashley from balking. She knocked firmly, someone had told her once that knocking firmly was important, and the longer the door stayed closed the more Ashley told herself this was insanely stupid. 

_Oh my god how even early is it? People don’t go to other people’s houses without prior planning these days! What the fuck am I doing here?_

And then the door was opened by a sweaty, blonde Goddess. Spencer was mostly naked and Ashley had absolutely no other recourse than to feast her eyes on every inch of skin available to her. Spencer was only wearing a pink sports bra and white and pink, skin tight shorts. Ashley thought she had never seen someone so completely, utterly sexy in her life. 

Her hair was tied back in simple pony tail and her skin had a sheen of sweat; Ashley had to force a vision of that body, slick with sweat and _writhing_ beneath her out of her mind. Her chest still heaved slightly and her abs were contracting with every breath. 

Ashley was positive she had opened her mouth and closed it several times to no effect. She was incapable of doing anything but staring and fantasizing. 

And possibly drooling. 

Two different chuckles finally broke her from her staring contest with Spencer’s body and she realized they’d been joined by Emma. The elder blonde was showing just as much skin as her sister. Ashley, as any lesbian with eyeballs would be wont to do, couldn’t help scanning her gaze over the older Swan too. Emma’s body was just as toned and the tattoos drew her gaze naturally the muscled definition in her arms. 

A throat clear brought her back to Spencer.

“Jesus.” Ashley’s voice sounded strangled to her own ears and she cleared her own throat. “I. No. I was just… not ready. I was not prepared for this.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of Spencer’s body. The blonde finally laughed and slapped her arm. It was the first time Ashley noticed that her hands were lightly covered with black tape. 

“You friggin’ goof. Get in here.” 

Ashley allowed the blonde to pull her forward because frankly at that moment she would have let her do anything she wanted. 

_Oh my god, you’ve become a useless lesbian. Pull yourself together Davies!_

“Um. I was just. Coming over?”

“I can see that.” Spencer accepted a bottle of water from her sister who was cracking up silently.

Clearly Spencer wasn’t willing to throw her a bone so Ashley just blinked for another second. “You see, I, okay. The thing. Number? I don’t-”

Finally Emma broke. “For God sakes, Spence, go put some clothes on so we can put Davies out of her misery.” Both blondes laughed raucously and Ashley watched her walk away. 

_They’re laughing right at me. Right to my face. Oh my god, that ass._

She jumped when Emma clapped right in her face. “Watch it, Davies.” Emma’s tone was light but the glint in her eye was unmistakable.

“Right. My bad. Um, I have something I thought you’d like to see.” She pulled the CD case from her back pocket and handed it over. Emma took the Grateful Dead album with a smile. 

“Workingman’s Dead? My favourite album. Everyone thinks American Beauty is the best album but man, this one always spoke to me. I have this, though.” She quirked an eyebrow and Ashley smirked.

“I doubt it.” 

Emma opened the CD case and saw that it was signed by all the members. The actual CD had seven signatures in silver marker and the sleeve had messages from each one. Emma smiled wider as she read _Rock On Deadhead_ from Jerry Garcia himself. “H _o_ ly shit. This is insane Davies. How much did this cost you? This is incredible.”

“It didn’t cost me anything. My dad got it for me. He’s partied with everyone cool.” Ashley said with some pride in her voice. Emma’s eye flicked from the CD to the shirt Ashley was wearing. 

“Ah. Which would make your father Jefferson Davies.”

“Yup.” Ashley grinned. “Not everyone can say their dad is a rock star.”

“Whose dad is a rock star?” Spencer came back into the room. She’d changed her clothes to simple jeans and a long sleeve shirt and she’d run a wet comb through her hair. 

“Mine. He’s the lead singer of the Mad Hatters.”

“Do I know their music?” This was directed at Emma.

“No. It’s a little too dirty grunge for you.” The elder blonde chuckled. 

Spencer leaned into Ashley and kissed her cheek gently; the brunette lit up with an easy smile. “I didn’t know your dad was famous.”

“Her mother then too.” Emma remarked. She looked up from checking out the Grateful Dead album. Ashley could see the moment Emma realized she might have spoken too soon. “Sorry, if your mother is Zelena West?” Ashley knew that her parent’s public displays of lewd behaviour were well known in the celebrity world.

“She is. West is just her stage name or whatever, it’s actually Zelena Mills. She and my dad have been together forever. High school sweethearts.” Spencer smiled warmly but Ashley could see from Emma’s gaze that she knew of her parents antics. “They like to party.” She said weakly by way of explanation. 

“It must be hard.” Spencer stroked her arm softly. “Being so far away from them while they tour and stuff.”

“Yeah. I mean. They call and stuff. When they can.” Ashley tried to defend her parents. _Jesus, when was the last time mom called me?_

“Well that’s good of them.” Ashley could tell clearly that Emma didn’t necessarily agree with what she was saying.

Ashley tried to keep her sudden mood swing off her face but she felt like she’d abruptly tasted something repugnant. _What does anyone know about my relationship with my parents?_

Spencer touching her arm again brought her attention back out of her own mind. “So, did you stop by just to say hello, or?” Her flirty smile made Ashley mimic it.

“I thought I would see if you wanted to hangout? I’ve got somewhere to show you.”

“Am I dressed okay?” Spencer looked a tiny bit nervous and Ashley couldn’t figure out why. 

“What, you look perfect. And we’re just going to chill. C’mon.”

Emma thanked her again for showing her the album on her way out and stopped the brunette with a hand on her sleeve. “Sometimes the difference between judgement and concern is hard to see, you know that right?” 

“Yeah. No, I know.” Ashley didn’t really understand what Emma was talking about because she wasn’t sure if she meant herself or Regina. _Do not go there Ashley._ Spencer led her out the door and she glanced backwards. “You should just really move that vase.” She commented as the blonde stopped it from tipping over. Spencer gave a knowing smile but didn’t answer. 

Ashley started her sports car but pulled out her phone instead of immediately driving away. She typed out a quick message for Aiden. 

[Mads better be over her little bitch fit cause I’m on my way and I’m bringing Spencer]

She gave Spencer an unconcerned smile. “Ready to hit it?”

**

“Just the favourite customer I was looking for.”

Emma smiled at Ruby who was already grabbing the pot of coffee. “To go, please, Red. And what can I do for you?” Emma leaned on the counter while the brunette fixed her drink. 

“You can come out with me tonight.” Ruby smiled and slid the drink over.

“Oh.” Emma was a little shocked. Ruby definitely seemed like the type who was always down for a good time and she had seen her admire her tattoos, and her arms, but she hadn’t really gotten the impression that Ruby was into her.

The waitress laughed. “Maybe I should have rephrased that. Not a date. Girl’s night. Me, Mary-Margaret, Belle and Dorothy.”

“I don’t know who those people are.” Emma reminded her.

“All the more reason for you to come.” Ruby smiled like that fixed everything. “You have to meet people eventually and you might as well meet the coolest women in town with cheap alcohol and a crooked pool table.”

“Well, how can a girl turn down an offer like that?” 

Emma’s voice had been sarcastic but Ruby gave a winning smile like she just didn’t care. “Exactly.”

The blonde reached for her coffee. _Get a move on Swan, you’re already running late._ “Why are you having girl’s night on a Sunday?”

“Different girl chooses the night every month. Sunday is the only night I don’t work here so it works the best for me.”

“So tonight is your choice?”

Ruby blushed a tiny bit and bustled herself wiping down the counter. “Actually, no. Dorothy’s. I had to miss the last one and she felt bad or something.”

Emma gave a Ruby a wicked grin. “You know what, I think I will come out tonight.” She took her coffee and started walking away backwards. “Something tells me I need to meet this Dorothy.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “I’m not above getting dirt on you out of Spencer, if that’s how you choose to play it.”

Emma left the diner laughing. “Good luck with that.” 

Within a half an hour Emma was illegally parked on the side of the road in Livermore in the Androscoggin County. She had a few apologies to make to Storybrooke for calling it a miniscule town after driving to Livermore. She hoped that Rusty Roof was unobservant because Old Yeller looked extremely suspicious parked on the side of the road for seemingly no reason. It was something that Spencer could have picked up on by the time she was ten. Thankfully for Emma, it seemed Rusty hadn’t been trained like Spencer; or hadn’t learned the hard way like Emma. 

Emma watched and snapped a few pictures as Rusty left in what she supposed could be construed as Sunday Best. His girlfriend Vanessa was slightly better dressed and her aunt, Adele Squire, wore the floppy hat that Emma had always associated with older people going to church. 

She made sure her photos were clear for the positive ID and then simply watched the trio drive away. She had no reason to follow them. She had searched and the closest, and only, church in the area was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church back down the main road. She would let them get settled before she drove over. 

Emma had no problem with religion on a personal basis. She didn’t believe in anything herself but she had been open about religion in case it was something she needed to be supportive about for Spencer. She had been truthfully thankful when Spencer had followed her non-belief. She had to admit, though, that she had caught many bail jumpers for reasons far less respectable than Sunday church. 

When she’d given them a twenty minute hard start Emma drove over to the church and parked in the lot. About thirty cars had crammed themselves in to the gravel lot but it was still easy to spot the old, silver, four door Saturn that Squire had driven them over in. Emma whistled a little as she went into the trunk of Old Yeller and pulled out the yellow boot. She tried to seem inconspicuous, as much as any person can while putting a boot on the tire of someone else’s car, and she got the job done quickly. 

She took her other bag of tricks from the trunk and then began to walk to the perimeter of the church. It was a little too open for her taste but the important part was that the church was open to the public. Bounty hunters are only authorized to enter a home that's in the bail jumper’s name without a warrant; meaning Emma was not allowed access to Adele Squire’s place of residence. All Rusty would have to do to evade capture is hole up inside Squire’s home. Here, if Rusty chose to run back inside the church Emma could follow. 

The back field of the church had a rod-iron fence that was only waist high. Emma was sure she could hurdle it but she didn’t know how athletic Rusty was. In Emma’s experience people running from jail could perform many surprising feats. The fence had a gate and Emma pulled zip-ties from her bag and zipped the gate closed. Hopefully instead of attempting to hop it he would try for the simple push gate and crash into it when it refused to push. Beyond the fence didn’t worry Emma; it opened into a park that had a long field. She was pretty confident she could outrun Rusty in a flat sprint across open ground unless he proved to be a very good runner.

When she looped back around to the front of the church she figured Rusty had three options if he managed to bolt. Back, towards the park, or either direction down the street the church was on. Emma could see quite a ways in both directions but sidewalks always held surprises. 

Once Emma had done all she could do outside she headed back for Old Yeller. She slipped out of her boots and threw them in the trunk. Then she slid into the small backseat. She managed to shimmy out of her skin tight jeans and pulled on basketball shorts instead. She made sure the tie around the waist was done up snug around her hips. She pulled out running shoes next and laced them tightly. She moved to the front seat after making sure she left nothing behind in the back. 

All that was left to do now was wait. She pulled out her phone and her immediate thought was to text Spencer but she knew she was hanging out with Ashley. She didn’t want to seem like she was checking in on her because, while Spencer would know she wasn’t, Ashley wouldn’t. She didn’t want the brunette to think she didn’t trust Spencer with her. 

_Cannot believe that Ashley’s parents are Jefferson Davies and Zelena West._ While Emma wasn’t huge into celebrity gossip it was impossible not to hear any of it. She knew that the pair had been kicked out of countless hotels and concert venues for having sex in public or inappropriate places. She had heard their arrests and charges for lewd and indecent behaviour were rivaled only by their drug charges. Emma had taught Spencer not to judge but if even a quarter of the things reported about them, to which there was usually video to prove it, were correct than it wasn’t hard to see why Regina had custody of Ashley as opposed to her parents. 

Thinking about the brunettes, about both of them, made Emma pull out her phone before she’d really considered if it was a good idea or not. She pulled up a number she’d never texted before: 

[How long does church last?]

[Excuse me?]

Emma chuckled a little. [How long does church usually last?]

[Where are you, Ms. Swan?]

[It’s Emma. And waiting not so patiently for church to get out. Wasn’t that obvious?]

[I am trying to work, dear.]

[Yeah me too.] Emma dutifully typed out a short explanation that led to her waiting in a church parking lot.

[I don’t claim to be an expert. I think it depends on which religion. You could be there for hours though.]

[Great. Entertain me?] Emma realized a second too late that sounded a little forward. Regina did not disappoint with her instantly defensive response.

[Just what are you implying, Ms. Swan?]

Emma had to chuckle. _Jeez, it’s not like I asked for nudes._ She knew better than to text that though. [What are you doing?]

[I’m working.]

[From these quick responses I think not. What are you supposed to be working on?] The delay was longer now and Emma thought she’d pushed too much. When the message came through she smiled; Regina hadn’t bailed, she’d been typing a novel.

[Mother Superior is the head nun of the gaggle of nuns that basically came with the formation of Storybrooke. They have been on their land for as long as there has been land to claim. Mother so-called Superior has been pushing for mandatory church excursions for longer than I’ve been mayor. Every month she comes up with a new reason why the church needs more money from the budget. They need new windows, they need new pews, they need new flowers, and they need new gowns. And every month I inform Mother Superior that money is allocated as needed. But there is always something that needs it more and she seems to feel I have it in for nuns. She acts so high and mighty but I swear she was the first person to call me the Evil Queen.]

_Holy shit she must be stressed._ Even though she was laughing Emma felt strangely honoured too. Of all the people Regina had chosen to let her wall down for to unload a pile of crap, it had been her. [Wow. We’re not faring so well with churches today.]

[Not so much. I’m currently drafting a report explaining that the miners association has located plumbing issues which city maintenance has confirmed and that the extra money in the budget will need to be directed towards that.]

[Shoddy plumbing! What kind of town you running here, Mills?]

[And old one.]

Emma could picture her dry tone and the arched eyebrow and it made her smile. She was about to type when she saw the church doors push outward. [Gtg catch fugtive c ya later!!1] Emma threw the phone into the glove box and pushed the door open. She walked confidently across the lot to the front doors of the church. She only had to wait a couple of minutes as people streamed out.

“Excuse me, Mr. Roof? Hi.”

**

Regina stared at the message on her phone for longer than she probably should have. _Gone to catch a fugitive._ Her eye had faintly twitched at the typing, that had gone seriously downhill, and Regina figured she must have been in some great hurry. _Yes, a great hurry to catch a criminal that refused to go to court._

The brunette finally put down the phone when she realized she was less perturbed about the message and more just worrying about the blonde’s well-being. Regina tried to be rational. She tried to tell herself that Emma was an adult who was trained and skilled in her profession and capable of handling herself. _Not to mention those arms._ Regina flushed even though she was alone in her office.

Regina had had many previous thoughts about tattoos. She thought they looked trashy. She thought that tattoos only belonged on prison inmates, sailors and pirates. She thought they looked unprofessional and classless. 

Until Regina had seen Emma’s tattoos and she couldn’t keep her eyes off them. At first it was just the woman’s arms, _who wouldn’t stare at those arms_ , but the more she had stared the more she had seen how well the tattoos fit. Even now, in her mind, she couldn’t picture Emma without them.

Her eye had been first caught by the open book on her left forearm. She could plainly see that the repeated phrase had been inked in a dozen languages but not one of them were English; she could however, even from upside down, detect the Spanish. It wasn’t often that Regina spoke, wrote, or read the language anymore but she was sure she could still translate one phrase. It wasn’t until later, in the kitchen, that Regina had seen it close enough to read it. “ _Those that bend never break._ ” For Regina, who had felt like she was breaking a lot in the last month or so, the phrase struck a chord with her. She wondered if that was a phrase the Swan women lived by.

She had been less impressed by the sword running down the back of her arm but she couldn’t deny the pleasure she felt seeing Henry light up at seeing it. While she hadn’t understood the sword clearly meant something to him and she was always automatically happy to see her little prince happy. 

Regina had spent a lot of her night trailing her eyes over different images along the blonde’s arms when she thought she wouldn’t get caught at it. Some were strange; she figured she would eventually have to ask the blonde why she had a broken watch, a batcave, a chessboard, or a clown walking a dog. Others were strangely beautiful; the ink that ended the sleeve over the top of the blonde’s right shoulder was a snake. It coiled over her arm and around it so looked like it wrapped completely around. The snake’s mouth was open and the inside of its mouth was jet black while its head was bright green. The beautiful, mesmerizing, part was that down the snake’s body the coloring of the snake skin changed several times. One section was striped red and white and black while another section was speckled orange and white. She could see a bold yellow and brown and the one beside it was practically red and turquoise. The painstaking part had been how gradually each section bled and changed into the next so that you couldn’t quite see the line of when it happened. Regina truly believed that every single individual scale on the snake skin had been chosen and coloured with precision. 

Regina balked when she realized she was picturing running her fingers over the images while Emma explained their meaning in low tones directly into her ear.

_Enough of that._

The brunette had bigger problems to face and now was about the perfect time to deal with it. She mentally pulled back up the defences that somehow even from out of town Emma could pull down. She needed all the strength she possessed for this phone-call. 

She dialed the number on her desk office phone as opposed to her cell. By the time it was answered five rings had gone by and Regina was just starting to pray that the number was still good. “Hullo, darling, who’s this?”

Regina sighed internally. She knew it was about the right time to call. Any earlier and they could have been sleeping off whatever they’d done the night before. Much later and they might be into their evening plans already. “Zelena. It’s Regina.”

“Oh, sis. Isn’t this a wonderful surprise.” Her voice said it was anything but, and Regina was already seething. _I don’t call you in years and when I do your first thought isn’t worry I’m calling to say something happened to Ashley?_ Regina could barely hear the phone ring, period, and not worry it was something about one of her kids. 

“Well, I figured it was time we talk.”

“Gina, darling, I’m really quite busy right now.”

“It’s about Ashley, Zelena.” Regina tried hard to keep her voice even. 

“Well, what? Is she fine?” 

“No, Zelena, she isn’t fine. She’s having problems right now.”

“Then send her to a shrink.” The redhead’s flippant voice sounded like she didn’t understand what Regina was saying. 

“If you knew Ashley at all you’d know she hates being analyzed and that she’s been in therapy before.” Regina snapped. “I think Ashley could really do with hearing from you right now.”

“I told you, Gina, I’m a little busy right now. Ashley can handle herself.”

Regina took a steadying breath. “Zelena. She’s partying all the time. She’s staying out all night and coming home drunk. She’s seventeen years old and she’s developing an honest to god problem with alcohol.”

Zelena had the gall to laugh. “Oh my god, sis, you sound like mother.” Regina knew it was an insult and she took it as one. 

“No, Zelena. I actually care about Ashley.”

“Good, then. Look, Regina, I thought we agreed the last time we spoke that Jefferson and I were going to wash our hands of this situation?”

Regina saw red. Her jaw clenched and her hand gripped the phone so hard the plastic creaked. “ _How dare you?_ We agreed on custody arrangements and you signed away your rights but Ashley is not something that you _wash your hands of_. She is not a baby or a child anymore Zelena. She remembers you, she _loves_ you, though for the life of me I cannot understand why.”

“So did you call just to yell at me, Regina?”

“I called because Ashley is having a hard time and it is made worse because she knows her parents abandoned her! She’s old enough to understand now how screwed up her childhood was and it’s effecting her! She just wants to talk to her parents, Zelena. If you didn’t want her to know you at all, you should never have taken her from me.” Regina’s voice had taken on a completely lethal tone. She couldn’t remember that time in her life without remembering how she wanted to genuinely, physically, harm her sister. 

If her sister hadn’t been holding Ashley at the time she truly believes she would have. 

Zelena’s next words were like ice. “How many times are you going to throw that in my face? Look sis, I’ll call Ashley when I get the chance, okay? Will that make you happy? I gotta go now, but it’s been _lovely_ chatting with you, sis.” Zelena promptly hung up the phone and Regina violently slammed the receiver down. 

Her rage simmered for another ten minutes before it turned to tears. 

**

Spencer looked around the unnamed but universally decided teenage hangout spot and couldn’t deny that it was actually very cool. It was completely secluded and with no windows on the back side of the library or the restaurant she wondered how they even really knew the square waste of space was here. When Ashley had first walked her down the narrow alleyway, with a mischievous smirk on her face, the blonde had wondered what on earth she was getting into. From the entrance of the alley it looked like Ashley was leading her into a dead end and she’d never have walked down it alone voluntarily. The dead end turned out to be a variety of wooden boards with ivy growing in and through them that Ashley ducked under without pause. Spencer’s eyebrows had nearly arched off her face when she followed. 

Between all the mismatched furniture and the standing room Spencer thought they could probably squeeze 35 people in the square. It felt bigger on a day like today, where it was cloudy but not raining, because they had retracted their tarp roof so it was open. 

Now that she was starting to know Ashley a little better she was unsurprised to find a few year old, but still perfectly decent, speaker system hidden away inside a tool lock box. They kept the music down far more than they did at the party but it was a nice background noise to the chatter.

When they’d arrived they’d been one of the first people there; Spencer assumed because it was so early in the morning. Only some of the basketball players, who probably worked out in the morning like Spencer did, had beaten them there. 

Aiden, who Spencer hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk to yet, had plunked down beside her on one of the couches easily. Spencer had to admit she might never have seen a more attractive guy in her life. His blue eyes sparkled easily and his lean face and sharp jawline drew your eye to his easy smile and perfect teeth. He was tall and muscled but not in the way that made Spencer think of steroids; he probably just worked hard for his body like she did. 

The athlete turned out to be very easy going. He smiled often and flashed his dimples whenever he grinned. Spencer thought his innocent smile probably worked as well for him as Ashley’s devilish smirk did for her. 

Spencer admitted to little knowledge, or passion, for basketball and he shrugged it off easily. He told her he played football too but Storybrooke didn’t have a team because town council had voted it too aggressive and injury prone. 

He asked her about her tattoo, for the head of her swan was visible pretty much no matter what shirt she wore, but he didn’t do it in a lecherous way which made Spencer grin. Her swan was mostly a distinct black outline, she told him, with indistinct and imperfect water colours filling it in. She told him only the knot on the back of her neck had caused her to really cringe in pain and it was the only spot where she had held her sisters hand tightly. 

The entire time Aiden chatted with her Ashley was holding court and amusing the rest of the team with her antics as they talked, but Spencer caught her eye frequently. She wasn’t sure if Ashley was making sure Spencer was having a good time or keeping an eye on Aiden. Or possibly both. The blonde, when she caught Ashley looking, would wink or flash a smile and the brunette seemed incapable of keeping the grin off her own face when she did. 

“Ashley’s good people.” Aiden remarked quietly the fourth or fifth time he caught one of these looks. 

“Hmm?”

“Ashley. She’s good people.” Aiden shrugged. “She doesn’t care about all of these people and most of them don’t really know her. And I know what her reputation is like. But she’s good people.”

“I can see that. Otherwise I wouldn’t hang out with her.”

Aiden eyed her for a moment before nodding. “No, you wouldn’t, would you? Ashley likes to party and she’s wild and sometimes…more lately…she goes way too far. But I don’t think anyone could ever completely contain her.”

“I don’t think anyone ever should.” Spencer whispered back. “She can be smart and healthy as well as wild and fun-loving.”

“I agree.” Aiden got a guilty look on his face. “I dunno. Maybe we enable her too much.”

Spencer sighed. “I’m not disagreeing with you, but for the most part I think people only can and need to change for themselves. She would have done what she wanted to do no matter what, Aiden. And now, if she’s changing, she’s doing that for herself too.”

He eyed her again and then gave a wide smile. “I think you’re good people too, Spence.”

“Thanks Aiden.” Spencer wasn’t sure if she had needed the tall athlete’s approval but she was glad she had it. 

More and more teenagers ducked under the wooden boards and joined them in the square over the next hour or so. It seemed universally agreed in Storybrooke that it was the meeting place, hangout, hideaway and basically everything else for the teenagers of the town. A few people, when they noticed Spencer, wandered over to introduce themselves or say hello but by now Ashley was sitting on the arm of the couch and dealing with most of the required social interaction. Spencer was able to just lean back, occasionally say something to Ashley or Aiden, and just relax and people watch. 

Until Madison arrived. She ducked under the wooden boards with natural grace that almost made it a dance move. Some of the guys wolf-whistled and the girls all greeted her warmly. Spencer got the impression that she was the definite Storybrooke #2. That if Ashley wasn’t around, or if she was a different person, that Madison would rule the masses the way Ashley did. 

Spencer was able to tell, within about three minutes, that the Latina didn’t like her. Her glare wasn’t subtle and if that wasn’t telling enough the way Ashley tensed in her presence was. “I thought Madison was your best friend?’ Spencer asked.

Ashley snorted. “She is. She’s also a bitch. I’ll be back.” Ashley headed over and Spencer gave a worried look to Aiden.

“Should I be concerned?”

“Probably not.” Aiden didn’t look convinced. “Maddy is good people too. She just shows her concern in a probably bad way.”

“How so?” 

Aiden, as was apparently his way, eyed her for a moment before deciding what to say. “She worried about, Ash. A lot. We like to party too but we never go as hard as her. I think her dad taught her to party or somthin’. Anyway Madison was the only person who tried to stop her. They fought all the time about it. They’d always make up, cause they actually are friends, but it really played on Maddy.” Aiden heaved a sigh. “And then you showed up and in one day Ashley seems to change her roll. I think to Mads that really burned.”

Spencer frowned. There was almost too much in Aiden’s speech to process. _What did he mean her dad taught her how to party?_ “I didn’t really do anything. If Ashley is changing she’s doing it because she wants to.”

“I know.” Aiden agreed easily. Spencer wondered if he had an antagonistic bone in his body at all. “And she knows that. Underneath the wounded pride or whatever.”

Their conversation was cut off by Ashley’s return. Instead of the arm of the chair she squished herself down in between them. Spencer and Aiden dutifully shimmied over to give her some space. “Aiden, go deal with Mads.” Ashley waved a hand vaguely in the Latina’s direction. “She’s still being a bitch and now she’s just doing it in Spanish.”

Aiden chuckled but actually did stand to do as Ashley said. Spencer watched him walk over and scoop the lithe dancer up into his arms easily. 

“I’m sorry you’re having trouble with Madison.” Spencer muttered lightly. 

Ashley let out a bark of laughter. “If it’s not something with her, it’s something else. Whatever. I’m not worried.” Ashley didn’t at all try to keep her voice down and Spencer noticed a few people around them glance around to see who had annoyed their queen bee. “Fuck it, anyway, enough of that. So how do you like our humble abode?”

A small piece of the Ashley she liked, the goofy adorable one, peeked through and Spencer smiled. 

She couldn’t ignore the slight tremble in Ashley’s hands though. 

**

Emma wasn’t entirely sure what she’d been expecting when Ruby had texted and told her to just meet the girls at the bar. “The bar” were apparently the only words necessary because the Storybrooke town limits only had the one. She had jogged across pretty much the entire town since she’d been here and hadn’t seen it so she knew the direction it had to be.

She hadn’t tried exceptionally hard when she’d gotten ready. She was wearing skin-tight jeans and her nicest pair of motorcycle boots. Her black tank top clung to her body completely and she’d switched her red leather jacket for a black one. 

It turned out that as soon as she made it to Main Street she could follow a group of miners the rest of the way. One of the group already looked heavily intoxicated and Emma took a good gamble that they were heading for the only bar. 

The Rabbit Hole wasn’t exactly what she’d been picturing. _Does the town know what that means?_ It was a simple bricked building that shared a wall with a shoe repair shop and the sign, complete with white rabbit, simply read the Rabbit Hole. _I wonder how many hours Ashley’s father had spent here._

The inside was a typical bar; she could see one pool table and a wall that had a dartboard hanging. The wood was dark and the lightly mostly red which gave the place a slightly seedy vibe. Emma instantly clocked the potentials exits and she noticed some out of the way corners that were darker than others.

Ruby spotted her first and a shout of her name drew her over to a booth. “Everyone, this is Emma.” The blonde took in the three other women sitting in the booth with the waitress. “Emma, this is Mary-Margaret,” she pointed out the dark haired brunette with a pixie cut and a cardigan, “Belle,” the long, auburn haired woman wearing a modest but beautiful dress in a dark royal blue, “and Dorothy.” Emma gave the last woman, a brunette wearing jeans and a top designed to look like a corset, a friendly nod. Ruby was the most dressed up, or rather least dressed, of them in a red and black dress that fell to mid-thigh and showed quite a bit of cleavage. 

Emma resigned herself to getting all the basics out of the way first. She learned quickly that Mary-Margaret was actually Henry’s teacher although her rather wholesome act made Emma think she should probably teach kindergarten. She wouldn’t have pegged Belle as the librarian until she and the book-worm got into a heated debate about Sue Grafton, _how can you think that a man writes a better woman detective than a woman writes a woman detective_ , which Ruby eventually had to call a halt to. 

Dorothy, the woman herself told her, was the town veterinarian but Ruby interjected that she was also a published author. Dorothy had rolled her eyes and Emma smirked at the easy relationship between them. She didn’t have them totally figured, yet, but Ruby’s affection for the vet was easier to see. 

“Are you really? My sister wants to be a writer. Screenplays, not books, but still.”

“Ruby is hyping for no reason. I write young adult books.”

“I happen to have raised a young adult. Anything I would know?”

“Animal Eyes series?” She continued when Emma shrugged. “They’re all connected but each book is told from a different species of animal’s point of view. It’s kind of dumb, but-”

“No it isn’t!” Ruby objected before Emma. “They’re not stupid. They’re still books that got published.”

“She’s right.” Emma smiled. “If my sister ever wants to speak to you just about writing or the publishing process in general, would that be cool?” Dorothy agreed with an easy smile.

Mary-Margaret had used the opportunity to question Emma about raising her sister. _Hmm. Regina must not gossip. Good to know._ “My parents passed, actually. I’ve pretty much always had custody of Spence.”

The teacher expressed her sympathies and the leaned forward. “Did you really never consider giving Spencer to the child care system though?” Emma blinked and even Belle and Dorothy shared looks. “No, no, I don’t mean selfishly. I mean unselfishly, really. It must have been so hard raising a child when you were basically still a child yourself. Didn’t you think that Spencer might have been better in the system where she could be adopted?”

Emma worked very, _very_ , hard not to outwardly react as harshly as she wanted to; she wanted to snap. “No. I don’t think Spencer would have been better off without me.”

Dorothy jumped into a question about one of Emma’s tattoos, the bleeding vampire bite inside a lipstick print, and the blonde turned her cold expression away from the teacher. Mary-Margaret sat meekly for a moment before Belle pulled her into the conversation. 

“So where exactly were you racing off to this morning, Emma?” Ruby asked after she signalled the bartender to bring them another round. Emma was drinking beer and Mary-Margaret had white wine. Ruby and Dorothy had switched from beer to whiskeys and coke. 

“Oh, I had a job. A re-arrest.” She briefly explained the process of bounty hunting to the women and they all seemed amazed and intrigued. 

“So you just waited in the church parking lot for him?” Belle asked again. She seemed the quietest of the women but when she did speak Emma found her accent beautiful. 

“Yup.”

“What on earth happened when he came out?” Ruby leaned forward and Emma noticed her eyes had just started to get glassy. 

“Well, he was with his girlfriend and his aunt and there were church parishioners all around. I knew I had to be careful. Thankfully the guy wasn’t that suspicious. I waited til he was like right in front of me and I just said his name. He turned, said “yeah?” and before he knew it I’d clamped a cuff around his wrist. He yanked it once, realized it was attached to my wrist and then he got pretty sullen after that. I cuffed him up in the back of my car and ziptied his ankles. Had to deal with his lip for the entire trip to the courthouse.”

The girls all laughed and when Belle stood up to go the bathroom Mary-Margaret caught Emma’s still icy gaze and hastened to go with her. Ruby let out a sigh. “Ignore Mary-Margaret.” She waved her hand offhandedly. “She means well.”

“Does she?” Emma was shocked Dorothy got the words out before she could. 

Ruby looked pained a little. “Yeah, she does. She’s just, a little naïve.” Emma made a noncommittal noise. “Look, we’ve, all four of us, lived here forever. And the three of us, Belle, Dorothy and me, have at least traveled and we had dreams to get out before life took over. Mary-Margaret never did. She was going to meet prince charming and have the perfect marriage and so on and blah blah blah.” Ruby paused to finish her drink in one large gulp. “And she did. David is just as wholesome and naïve as she is. I don’t think she’s ever even thought about tragedy and the system or whatever. Not unless it’s in flowery, positive terms or whatever.”

Dorothy rolled her eyes. “I’ve said it for years, she’s nice but almost too nice. She could use a dose of reality. You know that’s why the mayor hates her.”

Emma tried not to show her interest. “Regina hates her?”

“You know the mayor already?” Dorothy asked instead.

“Yeah.” Emma didn’t elaborate. 

“Well, imagine Mary-Margaret,” she held up one hand, “and then this is mayor Mills,” she extended her hand as far away as she could and almost struck Ruby in the face. “Oops, sorry, babe. Anyway, they hate each other. And most of the town sided with Mary-Margaret cause her dad and their family were always upstanding citizens or whatever. And there was some weird business years ago with Mary-Margaret’s mother and Mills’s mother. Or was it M ‘n M’s father and Mills mother?”

“I thought it was M ‘n M’s father and Regina?” Ruby’s eyes were almost crossed as she thought. 

“Whatever. Either way. They hate each other. What were we talking about?” Dorothy tilted her head and Emma had to smile. 

“We were talking about whether you two were dating or not.” Emma smiled. When they looked at her dumbstruck Emma chuckled. Belle and Mary-Margaret came back and Emma was glad she’d forced a topic change. 

She wouldn’t sit there and let them gossip about Regina.

**

Spencer had to finally accept that things were done differently in small town Maine. They had been at the hangout spot literally all day and none of the teenagers thought anything peculiar about that. She figured there was just nowhere else to go. 

Every building in town was the same as they had been since they were born and there was nothing exciting for them to do. There were parks for the little kids but nothing for them. They had no bowling alley, no movie theatre and no shopping mall. There were countless stores along Maine Street but every single person they had to deal with were adults that were somebodies parent. She found out that Storybrooke did have an arcade but it catered to tweens and town council had removed any game that romanticized violence. _God it’s no wonder these kids party harder than anyone I’ve ever met._

The alcohol had gotten brought out around the same time as dinner did. Spencer had been surprised when a few teens left and returned an hour later with takeout from various places. 

“We take turns.” Aiden, who had returned to Spencer’s side when Madison and few other girls started trying to choreograph a new cheer routine, explained at her curious glance. “Our parents always make sure we’re fed.” 

Several of the other players on Aiden’s basketball team had arrived soon after with a case of beer. Ashley grabbed two bottles and dropped down on Spencer’s other side with a smile. “For you.” She handed it over with a cheesy grin. 

“Oh, no. Thanks though.”

Ashley cocked her head. “You don’t want one beer?” She asked while opening her own.

“No, it’s a Sunday.”

“And…it’s the Lord’s day?” Ashley teased.

“No.” Spencer smacked her playfully. “But we do have school tomorrow, and I’ll probably be heading home soon.”

“What? It’s early, c’mon Spence.” Ashley pouted dramatically and the blonde rolled her eyes. 

“I didn’t say I was leaving right this second. Just being tired on a Monday sucks.”

“Alright, fair. Here, Aid.” She handed over the bottle Spencer had declined and Aiden held up his hands too.

“No can do, Ash. You know we got practice first thing tomorrow morning. Coach made us run suicides for an hour the last time we came in still smelling like beer.”

“Lame.” Ashley set the bottle between her feet apparently saving it. “So, have you enjoyed your day?” She turned back to Spencer.

“I have. I mean, it’s been a very lazy day. I almost feel stiff from lounging on these couches for so long. Then again, you were at my house absurdly early.”

“I was not! I was just…I, wanted to see you. Or whatever.” Spencer leaned over and kissed Ashley’s cheek. “What was that for?”

“Being adorable.”

“In that case, I’m always adorable.” 

Spencer loved Ashley’s real smile; the one that crinkled her nose and lit up her eyes. 

“Ash! _Chica!_ ” Spencer recognized Madison’s call. “You haven’t even sung today, bitch, what is this?”

Ashley jumped to her feet. “Coming, Jesus.” She leaned down and pressed her lips on the corner of Spencer’s mouth. _Does she smell like whiskey?_ “Be right back, baby.” She chugged her beer on the way over and the handed off the empty to somebody passing her by. 

Spencer flushed a little at the name and Ashley swaggered over to Madison at the speaker. “Are they doing shots?” Spencer was a little shocked when she saw the bottle appear from nowhere.

“Probably tequila.” Aiden sighed. “Madison will dance and they’ll give a whole performance. They normally don’t do it sober.”

At the sight of Ashley taking mouthfuls straight from the liquor bottle the rest of the group started getting organized and finding a seat with a view. Apparently it was the cue that a show was going to start. Two people tried to squish into the one seat on Spencer’s left and Aiden pulled her closer with a laugh when she practically got sat on. 

The brunette finally plugged her phone in and scrolled for a song. Madison appeared over her shoulder and pointed one out. Ashley shrugged and soon Spencer could hear the synthesized intro and drum beat of a song she recognized. Ashley was given a mic and suddenly she was a different person.

_“I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn_  
_I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge”_

Spencer smiled as Ashley sang the upbeat tune with her raspier voice perfectly and the blonde was stunned by how amazing she sounded.

_“I don't care, I love it, I don't care.”_

Ashley fist pumped into the air and people cheered. That was when Madison stepped forward and started to dance. 

“Does it bother you?” Spencer arched an eyebrow in Aiden’s direction without really taking her eyes off Ashley. “Seeing her up there dancing with Madison?”

Spencer let out a bark of laughter. “No. Not at all. Ashley’s a performer and singing is who she is, I would never tell her to change that. If Madison is trying to make me jealous with this little display, she’s going to have to change her angle.”

“That’s very big of you.”

_“I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn_  
_I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge”_

“It’s not me being big, I just don’t play those games. Ashley and I aren’t dating, she can dance with whoever she wants. If she does something that makes me uncomfortable, I’d tell her. I won’t storm off in a jealous snit.”

_“I don't care, I love it, I don't care”_

Aiden laughed now. His arm was draped across the back of the couch. “Madison has clearly met her match with you.” 

“Again,” Spencer laughed, “I’m not playing.” Her eyes narrowed when Ashley was passed a liquor bottle and she chugged some more while everyone cheered.

_“You're on a different road, I'm in the milky way_  
_You want me down on earth, but I am up in space_  
_You're so damn hard to please, we gotta kill this switch_  
_You're from the 70's, but I'm a 90's bitch”_

“Honestly, Aiden. Her drinking bothers me more than anything else.” Spencer murmured as Ashley snatched another liquor bottle from the hand of someone and started drinking from it. People cheered and when Ashley pulled the bottle from her lips to sing the next line, _“I love it, I love it”_ , she violently whipped the bottle over their heads. The glass exploded on impact with the brick wall and several people actually dove out of the way and a few girls screamed. Aiden instinctively pulled Spencer into his side and covered her face when glass and liquor rained down on them.

_“I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn_  
_I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs_  
_I crashed my car into the bridge"_

“Yeah, no.” Spencer scowled when she finally sat back up straight. “Fuck that. There’s performing and then there’s this.” She actually pulled a piece of glass from her hair and she wasn’t the worst off. Ashley continued to sing and she actually flipped off the disgruntled people who got doused in alcohol.

_"I don't care, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I don't care”_

“Have you seen the videos of her dad?” Aiden didn’t get a chance to say much else as the song was finally ending and the hangout erupted into cheers. Spencer was a little shocked that even those who had been angry seconds ago now clapped and offered her drinks. Ashley accepted quite a few hugs and she played off being too cool for their praise. Her eyes narrowed on Aiden and Spencer and she sauntered over with a dangerous look.

“So, did you like the show?” Ashley kept her eyes firmly on Spencer. 

“Your singing was incredible, Ash, as always. But I’m going to go.” Spencer stood and Ashley’s face fell. 

“What?” 

Spencer noticed that Ashley’s eyes were glassy; she couldn’t believe how much liquor she had ingested pretty much all at once. _I’d have puked drinking that tequila straight, that’s for sure._ “I said I’m going to leave.” _Or has she been drinking all day and I didn’t notice?_

“Why?” Her eyes narrowed on Aiden. “What did you say to her?” She snapped. 

“Woah, Ash,” Spencer started but Aiden didn’t back down.

“Me? Are you kidding? She said she didn’t want to drink and her date got plastered, who wouldn’t leave?”

Ashley’s jaw clenched with enough force her teeth grinded. “So what, Spencer? You’re policing my alcohol intake now too? Who are you, my aunt?”

“No, Ashley.” Spencer kept her voice calm. “You can drink however much you choose to drink. That’s _your_ choice, and I respect your right to make that choice. But it’s _my_ choice to not hang out with you when you do it.” She turned to leave and Ashley almost snarled.

“What the fuck is this?” Spencer glanced over her shoulder to see that Aiden had moved to follow her. 

“I’m going to walk her home.” Aiden sighed. “And tomorrow when you’re thinking right you’ll thank me for making sure the girl you like gets home safe.” Spencer shook her head and went to walk away again.

Then pandemonium erupted. Spencer sort of heard the grunt in pain and when she whirled around, instantly on alert and in a defensive stance, nearly everyone was either rushing forward or darting out of the way. Aiden was holding his right shoulder and Spencer noticed a heavy, thick, glass ashtray on the ground. 

The guilty, slightly astonished but still defiant and angry look on Ashley’s face said she had whipped it at him. 

“The fuck is wrong with you, Ashley?” Aiden growled. Spencer’s senses were going haywire and every instinct in her body demanded she flee. 

“Thought you could swoop in and what?” Ashley demanded. “Steal Spencer from me?”

“You’re an idiot. You created this drama yourself when there was nothing there. She actually enjoyed your song, even that one and even with Madison. You being drunk ruined it.” Aiden’s teeth were clenched in either pain or anger and Spencer wasn’t sure which it was. She noticed he hadn’t made an aggressive step and she reached out and grabbed the back of his t-shirt. 

“Aiden. Let’s go.” She started pulling him backwards and he didn’t resist. The rest of the crowd let them go. 

The last thing she saw before she ducked under the wooden boards was the betrayed look on Ashley’s face.

**

Rage and pain were the two most prevalent emotions swirling in her body. _That and tequila but that ain’t an emotion._ Ashley stumbled and kept herself mostly upright; her shoulder scraped the brick wall beside her and she barely noticed.

_Fuck them. Fuck all of them._ Ashley stumbled again. _Shit what even happened?_ Ashley couldn’t pinpoint in her mind where everything had gone from sweet and ideal to a complete shit show. _What have I even done?_

Ashley remembered feeling out of sorts nearly all afternoon and trying to hide it. And for a while she pushed it aside. Spencer was there. Spencer was smiling and laughing and playing cards, and for some reason Uno, with the rest of the teens in the hangout. Ashley loved hanging out with Spencer. Part of her wished they were alone again in her music room but she would take hanging out with literally the entire town too. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_

It burned that Spencer had gone home with Aiden. Something about that felt off but Ashley was too mad to figure out exactly what it was. _Fuck them both! I don’t need this shit._

Ashley stumbled again and nearly pitched over a park bench. _Where the fuck am I?_ She sat down on the bench to take a breather. She giggled at herself when she realized she’d been walking in the wrong direction of the mansion. 

_I wonder if Spencer would like a stroll through this park. It’s romantic and shit right?_ But something was wrong with that too and Ashley couldn’t figure it out. _When did I get loaded?_ She remembered taking some shots earlier in the afternoon when Spencer and a few other girls had walked into the library to use the bathroom. That had settled her for a while and when Spencer had come back Ashley was all smiles and demanding a rematch in a vicious game of go-fish. _So when had it gone to shit again?_

All Ashley could think of was Aiden. Aiden and Spencer sitting together during Ashley’s performance. _But she was watching me. I know she was._ Ashley had been mostly watching the blonde too, but even when she wasn’t she could _feel_ the blonde’s eyes on her. And she loved it. 

Until Spencer had started sounding like Regina. _That’s it!_ Ashley almost toppled over the bench in excitement as she remembered. Spencer was pissed because she had been drinking. _Whew, mystery solved._ She forced herself off the bench and continued her walk home. 

_God, Storyfuckingbrooke is not this big is it?_ Ashley felt like she’d been walking forever when walking clear from town line to town line doesn’t actually take that long. She looked around again and tried to figure out which street she was on. _Is the town playing a fucking joke on me or something? First Aiden and Spencer and now the town._ The brunette grit her teeth at the memory. _What the fuck was Aiden thinking?_ Ashley went to kick a rock on the sidewalk and stumbled again; only strong hands around her biceps kept her from falling over. 

“Woah, kiddo. Hold up.”

Ashley allowed herself to practically deadweight and looked up to see blonde hair. _Spencer!_

“Guess again.” 

Ashley hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud. She forced her eyes to focus a little more and the elder blonde became a little less blurry. “Emma.” Ashley found herself irrationally pissed off. “Of fucking course you’re here right now.” She violently shrugged Emma’s hands off her and nearly fell again without the support. “You here to rub it in my face too?”

“I’m not here to rub anything in your face.” Emma reached out again and Ashley slapped her hands away. “Ashley. Where is Spencer?”

“Probably somewhere off fucking Aiden.” Ashley snarled. She tried to whirl around and storm away but slipped and dropped to her knees. “Ow, fuck.” Ashley waited for a hand up and it didn’t come. _Did she fucking leave me here?_ She craned her neck around and caught sight of the blonde, arms crossed and watching her warily. “Aren’t you going to help me up?”

“No. You got yourself down there, you can get yourself back up.”

“Fuck off, Swan. I feel sick.”

“I have no doubt.”

“Fuck you.” Ashley practically wheezed as she pushed herself back on her feet. “See, don’t need you.”

“Good for you.” 

“You’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you?” Ashley pointed a finger in Emma’s face. “You seem so different but you’re just like them.”

“What have I done to be like them?” 

Ashley struggled to come up with an answer and turned away. “Screw you.” Was her parting shot. _Spencer left and now Emma will too._ It took Ashley almost fifteen minutes to make it down the street and to turn on Maine towards Mifflin. It was only then that she realized Emma was strolling along behind her. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like you’re stalking me. I knew you checked me out when you found me in the woods.”

“Sure kid.” 

“I’m not a kid.” Ashley demanded.

“Yes you are. And right now you’re being a brat.” Emma’s tone was matter of fact and it pissed Ashley off worse. 

“You don’t know me.” Ashley muttered with venom. _Nobody knows me._

“Maybe you don’t let anybody know you.”

_Did I speak out loud again?_ “Stop following me.”

“Keep walking.” Emma ignored her completely. 

“What happened to your,” Ashley tried to mimic Emma’s voice, “that’s such a raw deal Ashley and your life sucks attitude?”

“I didn’t say that.” The fact Emma was staying so calm was pissing Ashley off more. “I said from the beginning, if you deserve what’s coming to you, than you deserve it. It looks like you deserve this one.”

_There it is, my fault. Always my fault._ Ashley tried to stand confident. “What do you even know about it?”

“I know that if Spencer never speaks to you again after whatever happened tonight then you have no one to blame but yourself.”

All Ashley could see was Aiden draping his arm around Spencer and the blonde’s disgusted look aimed in her direction. _Fuck this!_

_“I don't care, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I don't care”_

Emma reached out a hand to steady Ashley and the brunette whirled and tried to strike Emma in the face. The brunette's world and her vision suddenly blurred and swam and her breath left her in a whoosh. When she blinked her eyes uneasily, trying to see, she was looking up into the sky and Emma was crouched down on her haunches watching her. 

_I should be watching the stars with Spencer like some stupid cheesy teen flic right now._

Bile rose in her throat and she rolled over quickly to throw up. 

**

Regina knew, with the instincts bred in years of motherhood, that something was wrong before she actually _knew_ that something was wrong. She’d checked on Henry, twice, and found him peacefully asleep in his bed. She had given in to the urge to briefly stroke his hair before she left for fear of waking him.

It wasn’t like she actually believed the problem would be with Henry. She checked Ashley’s room and the music room even though she knew full well that Ashley wasn’t in the house. She called her cell-phone without ever really expecting an answer; Ashley only picked up a call from her when she wanted something.

That led her to pacing around her house watching midnight, and then 1a.m, come and go before there was a knock on her front door. She was already in motion and moving towards the door before the first knock had even finished. 

She could scarcely breathe for fear of what she’d find on the other side of the door. She hoped it was only Ashley, drunk and perhaps having lost her key. She feared seeing Ashley’s friends, admitting that the teen was lost and that they couldn’t find her. She feared finding Graham, standing grave and serious and not wanting to tell her what was going on. She could barely contemplate all the things he could tell her. 

_Ashley could be in jail. She could be in the hospital. She could be.._

She flung the door open and had to blink twice at the sight of Emma, standing straight and holding Ashley aloft in a bridal-style carry easily. “She’s alright.” Emma said quickly before Regina could even draw breath to speak. “She’s okay, Regina.”

Regina stepped aside and Emma moved in the mansion carefully, taking extra care not to bang Ashley’s head into the door frame. Ashley’s face was being supported by Emma’s upper arm and Regina carefully moved her hair to see her face. She noticed belatedly that her hair and mouth had remnants of puke. “Oh god.”

“I don’t know exactly what happened tonight, but I know she got plastered. I think she fought with her friends too. She was stumbling home and I followed her to make sure she made it.” They were walking up the stairs now, Regina leading but almost walking backwards to keep an eye on the pair. “When she couldn’t walk anymore I carried her. She was conscious almost all the way and she passed out when we hit Mifflin.” 

Regina led the way to Ashley’s bedroom. Something occurred to her halfway and she stopped. “Spencer?”

Emma was already shaking her head. “I’ve spoken briefly to Spence, she’s at home fine. Apparently she didn’t participate in whatever this was tonight.”

Regina chuckled darkly when she opened Ashley’s bedroom door. “You mean this completely normal Sunday night occurrence?” Emma walked across the room and laid Ashley down gently; the younger brunette barely moved. 

Regina sighed and let herself into Ashley’s bathroom where she soaked a washcloth. When she came back out Emma was carefully flipping Ashley onto her stomach. “I doubt she’ll puke again, but still.” The blonde muttered. “You can take her to the hospital if you want, but she already expelled her own stomach so there’s little they could do. She’d get an IV banana bag though.” 

“Believe it or not, I’ve seen her worse.” Regina’s words were harsh but her touch was gentle as she wiped off Ashley’s face and then started working on her hair. The younger girl still hadn’t moved. 

The elder brunette fussed over her for a few more minutes even though she knew the blondes eyes were on her. Eventually she motioned with her head for the door and led her out of the teen’s bedroom. Regina was frazzled, and embarrassed, and fell back on her polite upbringing out of habit. “I’m so sorry for the trouble she caused, Ms. Swan. I can see you out.”

The blonde sighed audibly. “Regina.”

“What?” Regina knew her response was defensive and snappish but she didn’t know how to be any other way. 

“Talk to me.”

Regina blinked. Emma was standing in front of her with seemingly no defences and just asking to be let in. “I’m tired, Emma.” Regina hedged. “I’d just like to go to bed.”

Now the blonde huffed. “Bullshit. We both know you’re not going to sleep any time soon. Look, if you really don’t want to talk to me, then okay. But if you actually do and just don’t know how, well then. Why don’t you go pour some of that surprisingly strong cider and we’ll just see what happens.”

Part of Regina wanted to snap. _How dare this woman tell me what to do in my own home?_ It was slightly more surprising then when Regina led the way downstairs and headed for the kitchen for highball glasses. Emma was sitting in the living room waiting for her and she accepted her glass with a nod. 

Regina waited but Emma stayed silent. _If she thinks she can wait me out she’s mistaken._ It took five entire minutes of silence for Regina to think that maybe waiting her out wasn’t the point. “I don’t know what to do.” Emma focussed her entire being on Regina and the brunette almost flushed; people didn’t pay attention to her just for _her_ very often. She looked down at her glass instead. “Ashley is…completely out of control.”

“Well I know from this tonight that she drinks?”

Regina huffed. “I’m sure on your first day in town you knew she drank.”

“Well, rumours. But now I’ve actually seen it.”

“Well, yes. She drinks. At first I thought it was just with her friends.” Now that Regina was talking the whole story seemed to come spilling out. “I thought she was doing it to spite me. I thought she partied with her friends. But now, now I think she drinks alone, upstairs in her bedroom. I’m worried she’s becoming an alcoholic. I thought, God I’m so stupid.”

“Regina. If I know anything in this town already, it’s that you’re not stupid. What did you think?”

“Ashley came home last night practically sober. Said she didn’t drink because…”

“She’d been with Spencer.”

Regina turned guilty eyes to the blonde. “I guess I hoped that Spencer could…I don’t know…be a good influence.”

Emma sighed. “I think Spencer is a good influence. But, things take time. And if she really is beginning alcoholic tendencies then I’m almost not surprised she lost it tonight.”

“What does that mean?” Regina demanded. She was grateful when Emma ignored her harsh tone. 

“Yesterday, hanging out with Spencer, trying to make a good impression, it was new and fun and exciting. But you know what they say about trying to kick a habit? Day one is easy. Day two is the hardest.”

“So because she hadn’t had a lot to drink yesterday…”

“She was craving it tonight. And even Spencer’s presence wasn’t enough to stall that yet.”

Regina hated the fact that her eyes were welling with tears. Everything she had ever been taught said to never show weakness in front of someone else. That the weakness would be exploited and taken advantage of. But Emma just continued to sit and wait. Her eyes were not judging or pitying. “I said that I don’t know what I should do…I think I’m more afraid to admit that I _do_ know what to do.”

“What’s that?”

“I found a place online…a rehab facility. As the legal guardian of a minor I could force Ashley to go.” Regina waited, almost fearful, of Emma’s reaction. She barely got one. 

“Why do you think it’s a good idea?” The question wasn’t incredulous; it was merely factual. 

“Because if she’s got an actual problem with alcohol then she needs help.” Regina’s voice was fierce. “Do you want to know how I’ve spent my night? Do you know statistically how many people have an addiction to drugs or alcohol in this country? About 25 million. 25 million Emma! Do you know that 114 people die a day from drug use, Emma? _A day!_ It’s the number one cause of death in the U.S now.” Regina realized she was breathing harshly and almost losing it but she couldn’t stop. “And that’s just the deaths! Almost 7,000 people get sent to emergency rooms every day for drug and alcohol related overdoses. Did you know that? And out of all of these people who have addictions do you know how many receive professional help for it?”

“Less than 10%.”

“Less than…” Regina paused when Emma actually answered. _How had she known that?_ Regina now had piles of printed statistics and facts hidden away in the drawer with the Cortagen admittance papers. Emma was still sitting quietly even after her outburst. “Yes. Less than 10%. I tried to research why that was, and do you know what I found? Shame was the number one reason. Can you guess number two?”

“Money.”

Regina gave a rueful smile and a nod. “Money.” She vaguely waved around the mansion with a flippant hand. “Well, money is not a factor.” She sighed now. “And neither is shame. If I have to become that woman, the one that forces their child into rehab, then so be it. I will wear that if it saves her life. If it stops Ashley from being one of those statistics.” 

Emma nodded. “And why do you think it’s a bad idea?”

“Excuse me?” At Emma’s arched eyebrow she realized she’d gotten snappish again. She got up to pour them more cider and when she came back and handed Emma her glass she gave a small smile. 

“If you haven’t done it already, I assume you’re conflicted. So, why haven’t you done it?”

Regina almost laughed. “God, I don’t know. Fear. Denial. Hope. Ashley will hate me. More than she already does I mean.” Those words burned and she hadn’t really meant to say them. “She’ll never forgive this if I send her away to rehab. And I guess part of me is still wishing that…it isn’t bad enough for this plan. That she can turn herself around. That she’ll have a change of heart.”

“Do you want my opinion?”

Regina was surprised to find she did. “Yes.”

Emma smirked. “I’m not going to tell you whether to do it or not. My opinion is that you should talk it over with Ashley. Don’t spring this on her either way. An ambush will definitely make things worse. Let her know your thoughts and your fears and give her the option. Maybe she’ll want to go.” Emma kept talking over Regina’s snort. “Maybe this will scare her into change.”

“Maybe she’ll run away and I’ll never see her again.” Regina tried for flippant sarcasm and failed miserably. Emma leaned forward now and Regina couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to be cradled in those arms as Ashley had been earlier. _Only conscious to enjoy the experience of course._

“Well, how about this. If she runs away she’s a minor. So you can hire me and I promise to find her.”

Regina finally cracked a smile. “Did I thank you for finding her tonight? And why were you out walking around at 1a.m?” Regina tried not to sound too curious; but she really was.

“You did thank, and it’s fine. And I was out for girl’s night, apparently. Ruby asked me to and gave me little choice about it.”

“Ah.” Regina swallowed thickly. _Damnit Regina you are not jealous, stop this right now._ “And how was the Rabbit Hole this evening?”

Emma smirked. “Well I found out your bar is seedy Madam Mayor. That apparently it’s going to be awhile yet before Dorothy and Ruby get their shit together and just be happy. That Belle is quite possibly the sanest person in town, and that Mary-Margaret speaks without thinking. A lot.”

Regina grinned almost evilly. “And just what did Ms. Blanchard do now?”

Emma grit her teeth. “Made some comments about the foster system and Spencer like she knew what she was talking about. When she does not.”

The smile slid from Regina’s face. “I’m sorry. That woman, I swear. If she’s not the bane of my existence I don’t know who or what is.”

Emma chuckled. “Well, I’m happy I went out with them now if only to have been at the right place to help Ashley.”

“Thank you, again.”

“You’re welcome. But, I really should get going. Spencer might be waiting up because I texted her when I saw the state Ashley was in.”

“Of course.” Regina stood immediately. “Please, leave the glass, I’ll get it.” She walked the blonde to the door and wasn’t sure what exactly to do. _A handshake? A wave? A hug?_ Emma solved the problem for her by reaching out and gently gripping her by the wrist; she felt the blonde’s thumb rub back and forth a few times soothingly. 

“Think about what I said, about discussing everything with Ashley before you make a decision.”

“I will. Goodnight, Emma.”

“Goodnight Regina.” Emma gave one last smile and turned around to leave. Regina couldn’t help but watch her because she broke into a pretty quick jog, even in skin-tight pants.

Part of her was thinking about Ashley actually being able to run with the blonde and what _else_ the teen was hiding from her. 

Another part was thinking about the blonde’s ass in those jeans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fun fact cause someone asked me, all of the tattoos that Emma wears are actually mine. Very slight alterations were made to fit Emma and the story (like the pictures around the broken watch face were changed and while I do have a sword it isn't the Master Sword it's actually Ice) but the bulk of the ink is the same :) -JJ


	6. I Regret Everything

Emma quickly jogged the probable mile from Regina’s door to her own. Her feet already led her to the house without fail because her thoughts were a million miles away. _God that was scary. _Emma grit her teeth as she remembered finding the completely intoxicated brunette on the side of the road. She’d scanned the surroundings and found no other people and a quick examination of Ashley hadn’t shown any warning signs. Her pants were done up and, while she looked mildly dishevelled, it was clearly only from her fall. She had been equally disappointed in and sad for the teenager. She had pulled out her phone and texted Spencer immediately even though she had faith her sister would have gotten out of whatever situation caused this.__

____

__

The blonde knew that the brunette was hurting and it made her angry at the entire town. _How could everyone ignore this?_ Her heart had broken when Ashley took a drunken, angry swing at her because she knew that everything had just changed. She had put her faith in Ashley. She still believed that the teen could change and that she could help her. She would find a way to make a dedicated workout regime for the brunette and, while they jogged together, she would try to help her, help herself. 

But Spencer would no longer be a part of it. 

Drunken fools were one thing; drunks who got angry and violent were completely another. She would not let the younger brunette around her sister until she had gotten herself further under control. She would try to help her but she feared the brunette would lose all respect for her when she turned into the rest of the town and told her to stay away from her kid. 

She opened the front door to the house, and still even a million miles away reached out to steady the vase so it wasn’t knocked off the table. Spencer called out before she had more than one foot in the door. “In the kitchen, Aiden’s here.” 

Emma pulled herself from her musings and focussed once more; when she reached the kitchen she was glad Spencer knew her well enough to shout out a warning. If she had come into the room unaware and been startled by the young man sitting in her kitchen she might have hurt him accidently. 

__Aiden, blushing slightly, was sitting on a kitchen stool shirtless. He had clearly been in the process of reaching frantically for his shirt when Emma had come in the door because Spencer was laughing._ _

__Emma could tell that Aiden was tall even sitting; standing he would surely look over the top of her head. She could see the muscled definition in his chest and arms and pegged him for athlete. “You must be Aiden.”_ _

__He held out a hand instantly. “Yes, hi, um…”_ _

__Emma snickered. “Emma is fine.”_ _

__“Right. This isn’t what it looks like.” He blushed a little when she raised her eyebrows._ _

__“Really? Cause it looks like you’re in my kitchen getting some medical treatment.” She eye the frozen peas and bags of ice on the counter._ _

__“Oh. Then it is what it looks like.” He gave a grin that almost looked too boyish with his chiselled features._ _

__“What’s going on? What happened tonight, Spence?” She moved behind the boy to where Spencer was standing and took in the bruise, welt and bump on the back of Aiden’s shoulder and slightly down his arm._ _

__Spencer explained the night in detail to her sister while Emma examined his injury. If Aiden was surprised by the amount of truthful details Spencer shared he didn’t outwardly react._ _

__“Damn. This was an ashtray?”_ _

__Aiden blushed and nearly whirled around. “It was a really big one!”_ _

__“It actually was.” Spencer agreed even as she laughed at him. “It was pretty heavy. It was glass but it didn’t even crack when it hit him or the ground.”_ _

__Emma hummed. “You’re lucky it didn’t hit you in the back of the head, kiddo. Rotate this shoulder for me.” He did it but Emma watched his face. “How bad that hurt?”_ _

__“About a 3 with no movement, maybe a 6 with movement.”_ _

__The elder blonde was impressed with the truthful assessment. She upgraded her mental assessment from athlete to competitive athlete. “Well, I’d get a trainer or a doctor to look at this but I’m thinking anti-inflammatories and ice is all you’re going to be able to do.”_ _

__“I figured.”_ _

__The blondes worked together silently for a moment and used a tensor bandage to wrap an ice pack to his shoulder. “So Aiden, is there a reason you were in my kitchen other than the great free medical care?” Emma kept her voice purposefully light and calm. It wouldn’t be the first time Spencer had brought a stray home; she always assumed the kids that found their way to her home late at night were in need of something. Aiden shrugged and mumbled intelligibly._ _

__Spencer took over the story. “I told him he could crash on the couch. He was supposed to stay with the guys from the team but…” Spencer didn’t need to finish. Aiden had chosen to leave with Spencer instead._ _

__“No problem. It doesn’t fold out but I’ll get you a pillow and some blankets.”_ _

__It wasn’t long before the teenager was passed out, and snoring quite loudly, in her living room. She rechecked she’d locked the front door, which of course she had, and went to knock on Spencer’s door._ _

__“I know what you’re going to say.” Spencer remarked without looking. Emma perched on the end of the bed._ _

__“Good. Then I don’t need to say it.”_ _

__“You’re going to tell me to stay away from Ashley. She displayed violence while drunk and that’s not acceptable.”_ _

__“Twice, actually.” Without telling her all the details, like the fact Ashley had drunkenly babbled about her sister constantly as she carried her home, she informed her sister that she had run into Ashley tonight as well._ _

__“She swung at you?” Spencer’s eyebrows arched almost into her hairline. “Did you take her down?”_ _

__Emma scoffed. “Of course not. I just moved my face out of the way. She overbalanced and went down on her own. I made sure she wasn’t hurt.”_ _

__“God.” Spencer sighed and looked up with a broken expression that almost broke Emma’s heart. “Were we both wrong about her?”_ _

__“No.” Emma answered swiftly. “At least I hope not. The last two days, being trusted by me and liking you, I think it was like an incredible high.”_ _

__“And you’re saying tonight she crashed.”_ _

__“Hard.” Emma agreed. “I’m not going to abandon her. I’m going to help her if she lets me. But yeah, kiddo, I won’t let you hang around her while she’s drinking now. I allowed it before because you can choose not to participate in foolishness or stupidity. But you can’t choose for someone else not to be violent, and I have to think about you first. You can hang out with her at school, or a school event with adult supervision. But no more parties. No more hangouts.”_ _

__“I know. I get it.” Spencer still sounded sad and it made Emma want to cringe._ _

“If it helps, I think we’re only at the first act.” Spencer arched an eyebrow. “You know, in a play or whatever? I don’t think our story with Ashley Davies is over yet.”

_Or with Regina._

“For the record,” Emma started as she got up to leave for her own bedroom, “where exactly is this teenage hideaway hangout?”

__Spencer never hesitated. “Behind the library.”_ _

__**_ _

__Spencer had been to schools where she was talked about before; it was actually the norm. Always the new girl, always talked about. But this, this was new even for her. She and Aiden walked onto the school property together and instantly every eye was on them. They seemed to know instinctively that Ashley wouldn’t make an appearance today and so the only source of gossip they were going to get was from them._ _

__Aiden huffed a sigh beside her and Spencer nudged him gently. “I’ve put up with a lot being her friend, you know? She’s always been wild and crazy and I’ve always been there for her.”_ _

__“I can already tell you’re a good friend to have, Aiden.”_ _

__He flashed his boyish grin. “Thanks Spence. I don’t think she’s ever really done anything intentionally mean before. Well, maybe when she slept with me.” Spencer stopped dead in her tracks and Aiden spluttered when he realized what he’d said. “No, sorry. I didn- it was literally years ago.”_ _

__Spencer started walking and she gently laced her hand through his arm. “I was just shocked, that’s all. I have no right to be upset or mad or anything.”_ _

__Aiden eyed her like he didn’t believe it but left it alone. “She was going through her sexuality crisis and I think she just wanted something familiar. We’d dated for years in like elementary school so when she slept with me I thought she wanted to try again. She was working her way through the cheerleaders like the next day."_ _

__"That’s rough.”_ _

__“It was whatever. She’s always been kind of selfish. And she was going through a lot and I let it go. I always let it go. But last night...” he sort of groaned, “man that was fucked.”_ _

__“It was definitely fucked.” She looked around and scowled. “What do all these people want from us?”_ _

__“A story. Direction. Distraction. Anything.” He glanced down at their linked arms. “They’ll have us dating by lunch, you know that right?”_ _

__“Well Aiden, I am definitely a lesbian. And I think you’ll be a very good friend. So they can say what they want.”_ _

__“Okay. But…it’ll probably set Ash off again.”_ _

“Ashley has no more claim on me than I do on her.” Spencer sighed. _She could have though._ “You know after last night Emma wouldn’t let me see her anyway.” 

“Doesn’t that piss you off?” They were taking their seats in English and Aiden sat in Ashley’s normal seat; even more whispers broke out. “I mean, your sister seems awesome but when she tells you what to do or who you can see, that doesn’t bother you?" 

__“No, it doesn’t. Because I understand it. And Emma has never abused it. We heard Ashley was the biggest party girl and player in town and Emma actually encouraged me to hang out with her because she thought I needed fun. Only when Ashley proved violent did she say no.” Spencer shrugged. “If I had parents who told me I couldn’t hang out with people for stupid reasons, then yeah, it might be different.”_ _

__“And you…don’t?” Aiden asked hesitantly._ _

__“What? Have parents?” Even though she was in class Spencer carefully pulled her Zippo from her pocket so she could flip the lid open and closed. “No, I don’t. They died in a fire. I was a little kid. Emma raised me.”_ _

__“Sorry.”_ _

__Spencer gave him a smile to make him feel better. “It’s fine.” They fell silent when class started and Spencer was left to her thoughts._ _

_God, what even did happen last night?_ She hadn’t noticed Ashley taking drinks throughout the night but Aiden told her she had. She _had_ witnessed her chugging liquor before her performance though. Everything had changed then. 

She had known she was supposed to be jealous of Ashley singing while Madison practically danced up on her but she just didn’t have it in her. Ashley was such a performer, such an amazing singer and incredible talent, that Spencer had no choice but just to be left in awe of her. In her mind Ashley would have amazed the stunned crowd and shown her dangerous smirk to her adoring fans and then come back over to her and been goofy Ashley again. She genuinely liked both sides; it was the booze she didn’t like.

_I know what liquor can do to people._

Spencer had learned about alcohol at an age far younger than people are supposed to. She knew the phrase _he’s been drinking_ practically as a toddler. By age five she knew the difference between _he’s been drinking beer_ and _he’s been drinking booze_. By six she knew if she even saw a bottle of Jim Beam she was to run and get Emma so they could leave.

Remembering the hiss of air from the ashtray that had been whipped at Aiden was also a familiar sound. She knew that heavy but clunky objects, like shoes and books, didn’t whistle when they were thrown. It was the dangerous objects that whistled; TV remotes, beer bottles, car keys.

Spencer would never be able to forget the whistle from when Emma had taken a heavy ring full of keys right into her face. Her own gasp had blocked out any noise Emma might have made but she never forgot the whistle. 

The blonde remembered being voted “dodgeball champ” in the fourth grade and having to make up excuses so she didn’t say it was from experience. When she was a teenager she’d watched a movie about dodgeball and nearly felt sick when they made a joke about throwing wrenches. One of the countless terrifying moments of her childhood had been ducking out of the way of a screwdriver; she had turned around to find it pierced into the drywall.

__“Spence?”_ _

__She startled out of her seat and realized Aiden was standing beside her smiling bemusedly. “Where did you go?” He teased._ _

__“Beach in Hawaii.”_ _

__“So what,” Spencer almost groaned out loud at the familiar Latina’s voice, “you guys are like best friends now?”_ _

__Spencer put herself on guard but eyed the Latina directly. “Why do you do that? Try to create drama when there isn’t any? It’s annoying.”_ _

__Madison sighed. “I wasn’t, okay? Look. Is Ashley even alright?”_ _

__Spencer and Aiden shared a look. “She made it home in one piece.” Spencer finally offered. “That’s all I know.”_ _

__“Whatever happened last night,” she practically struck a pose of nonchalance but Spencer could see right through it, “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”_ _

__“Sure you didn’t. You didn’t pick that song and do that dance to try and make me jealous?”_ _

__“Well if I did it didn’t work very well, did it?” Madison snapped. She forced a breath. “Whatever, look, I didn’t know Ashley had been sneaking liquor all freaking day. I thought that because she was with you she was sober again.” She got defensive. “And it’s not like I poured it down her throat.”_ _

__“No, you didn’t. And I’m not blaming you. Ashley chose to drink that much and chose to let it control her. That’s Ashley’s fault. But as her friend, you didn’t help.”_ _

__“Listen, I don’t like when she drinks that hard either, okay?” She turned her attention to Aiden. “Should we go check on her after school? If we do it right away the Evil Queen should still be at work.”_ _

__“No, Mads. Ashley crossed a line this time, and I’m done. I have practice tonight but I’ll be riding the bench. I doubt I’ll be ready to play our next game.”_ _

__“You know she’ll be sorry.” Madison tried to reason but Aiden blatantly started walking away._ _

__“I’m sick of hearing her apologies.”_ _

__Spencer moved to follow him but Madison stepped in her path. “Look. Ashley never does well after she’s had a bad night. Without Aiden, God only knows. She’s going to need us. And we’ve got to convince Aiden to forgive her.”_ _

__“I’m not convincing Aiden to do anything. Where I’m concerned, she has nothing to apologize for except some rudeness. If Ashley wants to work for Aiden’s forgiveness, she can. And maybe if you’re serious about helping Ashley because you _are_ actually one of her friends and not just the new girl, maybe you can stop babying and enabling her for starters.” She went to leave and Madison grabbed her arm. Spencer grit her teeth. “Let. Go.”_ _

__Madison did, hastily, though whether it was because she remembered Spencer taking down Peter Gold or the seriousness in her voice Spencer wasn’t sure. “Ashley is heading for a fall. You don’t want that, do you?”_ _

__Spencer ignored the guilt trip and left the Latina behind. Aiden was waiting for her in the hallway and, of course, whispers broke out again._ _

_No, I don’t want that. But what can I actually do about it now?_

__**_ _

Ashley woke up almost already in the process of throwing up. There was a bucket beside the bed that she practically collapsed onto as she dry heaved. She groaned pathetically and her whole body shook. “Fuck me.” She glanced up and saw, with some surprise, there was a bottle of water and some Advil on her nightstand. _Drunk me for the win._

She rinsed out her mouth and spat into the garbage several times before taking the pills. She crawled back up into bed and pulled the covers over herself. She tried to keep her eyes open but she had the spins; the room seemed to be tilting and her stomach threatened to heave again. She groaned and blindly reached for her phone. She clicked the home button a dozen times before cluing in that the phone was dead. She chucked it across the bed and it landed somewhere near her feet. She pulled the covers up further, almost covering her head, and burrowed back into the warmth. She wasn’t trying to sleep, necessarily, but the slow deep breathing was the only way she knew to counter to spinning and pounding in her head. Her stomach muscles clenched and she realized she had nothing more to throw up. 

_“I don't care, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I love it_  
_I don't care, I love it, I don't care”_

__Ashley blinked her eyes open. “Oh, fuuck.” She drew the word out. She sat up and had to wait a moment for her head to stop spinning. She groped along the bed until she found her phone and then she struggled to find the charger cord that always dangled off her nightstand. “Come on, come on.” She waited with clenched hands while the phone gained enough life to turn on._ _

_“So what, Spencer? You’re policing my alcohol intake now too? Who are you, my aunt?”_

“No, no, no, no.” Ashley turned the phone on with an angry scowl. Her phone basically blew up once it actually had life; text message after text message came in and Ashley ignored most of them. Finally the phone fell silent and Ashley bit her bottom lip. _41 text messages. 17 of them from Madison and none from Spencer._

_“You’re an idiot. You created this drama yourself when there was nothing there…You being drunk ruined it.”_

_And none from Aiden._

__“Fuck!” Ashley whipped the phone across the room and it unplugged with a harsh snap and landed with a crack. She remembered with sudden clarity picking up the first thing she could reach and throwing it at Aiden. “Fuck.” Ashley raised a shaking hand to her head. “You’re a fucking idiot.” She collapsed back into bed and reached under the mattress. It took another minute to remember the bottle still wasn’t there. “Fuck! Jesus Christ.” Ashley’s hands were shaking and she needed something; she reached into her nightstand for the next best thing._ _

_“I Regret Everything!_  
_Every moment of my life_  
_Every step that I take is another big mistake_  
_I Regret Everything!_  
_There is nothing I've done right_  
_Summer winter fall or spring_  
_I Regret Everything!”_

Her hands were shaking a little less now but her head was still killing her. She took a deep breath and let a rhythm find her. She could hear the grunge guitar and the harsh, dirty bass line. She imagined a simplified riff of the intro that one could almost talk over instead of singing.

_“I've lived my own life, win or lose, no one ever called the shots for me_  
_I put myself into these shoes and no one ever tied the knots for me_  
_Life's a banquet, so I ate_  
_Piled experience on my plate_  
_Grabbed loves golden cup and drank it down_  
_Ignored the glare and all the frowns_  
_So sickened now I turn and face the crowd_  
_And sing my feelings very loud”_

__The pounding in her head almost gave her the drum beat that would bring the instrumentals back to full sound for the yelled, punk rock chorus._ _

_“I Regret Everything!_  
_Every single thing I've completed_  
_Every path that I choose only makes me defeated_  
_I Regret Everything!_  
_Maybe it’s time to run_  
_Summer winter fall or spring_  
_I Regret Everything!”_

__Tears were running down her cheeks now and she bit back a sob as drops landed on the paper in her lap._ _

_“I Regret Everything!_  
_Every moment of my life_  
_Every step that I take is another big mistake_  
_I Regret Everything!_  
_Right or left I'm always wrong_  
_I regret to have to sing_  
_I regret having wrote this song!”_

__The notebook was flung across the room and landed somewhere in the vicinity of her broken cell phone._ _

__**_ _

__“Mayor Mills.” Regina professionally answered her phone automatically from where she sat in her home office._ _

__“Regina, it’s Kathryn.”_ _

__Regina sighed audibly. If she had been thinking clearly, which she seemingly hadn’t been for days, she would have been expecting this call. Kathryn always called and gave her a heads up when Ashley didn’t show up for school in case Regina didn’t know her niece had gone AWOL. “Kathryn, hello. It’s not really a good time, dear.”_ _

__“Regina, we really need to talk. Not as friends this time.” Kathryn’s voice was apologetic but serious. “We need to make an appointment.”_ _

__“Kathryn…” But Regina had nothing to say. She had no defence for her niece nor did she think she really deserved one._ _

__“Ashley didn’t show up at school again today and there’s been rumours of a serious altercation that even the teachers have heard.”_ _

__The brunette sighed. All she could think of was an unconscious Ashley being carried in Emma’s arms. “I assumed that something had gone down last night. I’m sorry Kathryn, I should have called, I knew Ashley wouldn’t be coming in today.”_ _

__“She had your permission to skip?” Her oldest friend’s voice was incredulous._ _

_More like I just knew there was no chance she was getting out of bed in time._ “I decided that Ashley and I really needed a day to talk.” She said instead.

“Are you going to talk to her about the rehab centre?” Kathryn asked; Regina had almost forgotten telling her friend about it. All she could hear was Emma’s advice on the subject.

“I’m going to talk about her options with her.” _Or, I’m going to try._ “I’m hoping we can have a frank discussion."

__Kathryn tutted. “Regina, when was the last time Ashley really talked to you about anything?”_ _

_The other night, when she told me she was mad at me about something._ “I know. I have to try. Look, Kathryn, why don’t I call you back a little later. Depending on what happens today I’ll let you know of what’s going to happen with Ashley.” Regina clenched her teeth and admitted a possibility. “I know that Cortagen asks for the teen’s transcripts so they can evaluate them.”

__“I’ll have her transcript ready.”_ _

__“I’ll talk to you later, dear.” Regina practically hung up the phone while Kathryn was still saying goodbye._ _

_Oh God everything is going to change today._

__Regina started making her way upstairs and she paused outside of Ashley’s bedroom door. There were no lights on and her room was still quiet. She wasn’t totally surprised. When she’d gone in this morning to leave water and Advil for her Ashley had still been dead to the world._ _

__She continued down the hallway and stopped outside of another door. She hesitated before entering because, even though it wasn’t Ashley’s room, it still felt like Ashley’s domain._ _

__The music room had always been public space in the house; Henry had a keyboard in the corner that used to be Ashley’s and Regina had paid for most of the instruments. Regina had used to love this room. Ashley used to play with the door open and different instruments and melodies used to drift throughout the house._ _

__That had ended long ago._ _

__Regina sat down gingerly on the piano bench and ran her fingers lightly over the ivory keys. She remembered bringing Ashley up to this room on her fourteenth birthday and the younger brunette seeing the piano for the first time. She had already been mischievous by then, and occasionally a brat, but Regina had loved the joy on her face at the sight of the piano._ _

__Regina had always loved seeing joy on Ashley’s face._ _

__The brunette sat straight on the bench and placed her hands delicately, but more deliberately, on the keys. The more this had become Ashley’s space and the worse their relationship had gotten Regina had played the instrument less and less._ _

_A giggling Ashley wiggled in her lap. “Play it again, again.”_

_Regina dutifully put her fingers on the keyboard, on either side of the child, and played the Christmas carol again. Ashley sang aloud to the familiar Jingle Bells and Regina marvelled, again, at how good the child’s voice was. Ashley laughed and clapped at the end. “Will you teach me?”_

_Happily, Regina began to show the girl how to place her fingers on the keys and, though she expected the child to play with force, Ashley quite delicately pressed down the keys and played a simplified version of the tune. “You’re a natural!” She tickled the girl’s sides and Ashley squealed. Hearing Ashley laughing made her insides, usually twisted into knots, loosen and relax. When Zelena and that man had dropped Ashley back off three weeks ago the child had barely spoken let alone laughed. Only Ashley’s presence had stopped her from slapping both adults and banishing them from her town and Ashley’s life forever._

_“Can we play it again, aunt Regina?”_

_Regina had to bite through her lip to stop the sob from breaking through. Another thing she wanted to wring her sister’s neck for. “Sure, baby.” She would play the tune as many times as Ashley wanted as long as she kept laughing. She wanted to ask the child what had happened while she’d been gone but she didn’t dare._

_“Did you know my daddy can’t play the keyboard?” Ashley’s tongue was stuck out in concentration as she tried to play. “Maybe if I learn how to play really well they’ll come back and get me so I can help with daddy’s band.”_

_Another sob almost tore through Regina and this time she wrapped her arms around Ashley and held her almost uncomfortably tight. “I’ll always be here, baby.” She said instead of answering. “I’ve always got you.”_

Regina’s fingers and hands finally loosened and she played a little more confidently. Her own mother had forced her into piano and she hadn’t protested because she genuinely learned to enjoy it. She closed her eyes and played from memory.

__She hadn’t shut the door so the haunting melody drifted through the house._ _

__**_ _

_What the fuck am I hearing?_ Ashley tiredly blinked her eyes open. She’d gotten out of bed only once earlier to brush her teeth because the taste in her mouth made her want to gag. When she’d caught sight of herself in the mirror she’d given up and gone straight to the shower. The hot water actually made her feel dizzy so she turned it cold and only stayed under for a minute.

__She’d checked on her phone on her way back, cracked screen but seemingly still working, and then promptly dropped back into bed. She’d been dozing off and on ever since but now music had been slowly permeating her brain._ _

__Ashley knew every type of music normally played in this house._ _

__Henry didn’t listen to music as his soundtracks were still only movies. Regina occasionally listened to music while she cooked but it was usually Latin inspired or softer pop. This, this was her piano._ _

__She flicked the covers off and sat on the edge of her bed until the dizziness passed. She could normally rebound from a hangover quicker than this but this time she was content to lay in misery._ _

__She stepped into sweat pants and pulled on a hoody and made her way carefully across the room; the last thing she needed was to stumble now. She was unsurprised to find the music room door open because she knew if it was shut tight the sounds barely could be heard from the soundproofed room._ _

The brunette walked slowly, almost creeping, down the hallway with one hand on the wall. She leaned against the doorframe and watched Regina coax a heartbreaking melody from the instrument. _I’d almost forgotten she could play._

__Ashley was both classically trained as well as self-taught on an electric keyboard while Regina was only classically trained. Ashley could read the stiffness in her posture and how she held herself rigid. Regina had never told her but she could just picture Grandma Cora hiring someone who would poke her in the back or smack her in the hands for faulting._ _

__The tune changed, not quite seamlessly, but Regina seemed to be just playing whatever she wanted as it came to mind. Ashley shuffled into the room and the younger brunette could tell when her aunt noticed her because a few notes faltered before she settled her hands. The younger brunette rolled her long sweatshirt sleeves up carefully before she sat down._ _

__Regina, who had been sitting in the middle of the bench, slid over and allowed Ashley room so they were each sitting on an end. Ashley settled her hands over the lower octave keys and waited for her aunt to give her an opening. Regina changed the tune by dropping keys until she was barely playing and then began a new, softer, sadder melody._ _

__Ashley, though surprised, recognized the Evanescence song immediately. She flexed her fingers and rested them gently on the keys, patiently waiting. Automatically the rhythm of My Immortal was filtering through her mind. After the intro Ashley joined in playing, seamlessly weaving the deeper melody into the song as they played. The song hit the chorus and Ashley played with a little more emotion. Regina kept the higher melody and let Ashley have the moment._ _

__Both brunettes completely lost track of time as they played, each giving and then coming together again to play, hands interchanging and moving around each other fluidly, until the final notes drifted through the air. Ashley looked up and noticed Regina had been crying._ _

Seeing the stoic, hard-assed _Evil Queen_ cry was like a punch in the gut. “Aunt Regina…” Ashley trailed off because she had no idea what to say.

__“The first song I ever taught you to play was Jingle Bells? Do you remember that?”_ _

__Ashley didn’t answer but she used two fingers and played a simple, child-like rendition of the song. “Do you remember what you said to me, about learning to play?” Now Ashley looked up because she genuinely didn’t know. “You said maybe if you learned to play well enough your parents would come back and pick you up and take you with them.”_ _

__Ashley snorted. “Guess that never happened.”_ _

__“No. It didn’t.” Regina sighed. “You were right, Ashley.” The younger brunette looked shocked. “I do hate your father. And there’s times I hate my own sister.” Ashley held her tongue only because Regina was still crying softly. “But do you know why?”_ _

__“Because my father gave my mother a drug habit.” Ashley parroted Regina’s words even though they made her feel sick._ _

__“He did, but that’s not why.” Regina admitted. “I hate them because of what they did to you. And to me.”_ _

_What the hell is she talking about?_ “What?"

__“Did they ever tell you what was happening around the time they got pregnant?”_ _

_Where is she going with this?_ “They were on tour. The Down the Rabbit Hole Again album.” Ashley made a disgusted face. “Mom told me once I was probably conceived on the tour bus somewhere between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.”

__Regina scoffed. “That’s probably true.”_ _

__“If you’re about to tell me they considered abortion, I figured that out for myself. They’re both celebrities and rock icons. Dad refuses to play a show without her there.” Ashley said the words matter of factly because she didn’t want her aunt to see that they burned. “I guessed abortion was an option.”_ _

__“Oh Ashley.” Regina looked devastated that Ashley knew this about herself. She cleared her throat. “It was. Talked about that is. Do you know why they decided not to go through with it?”_ _

_Why else?_ “Because they decided they wanted me?”

__Regina was crying harder now. “Because I begged them not to.”_ _

_“What?”_

__“I had been looking into adoption already and I wasn’t mayor yet. I was just a busy lawyer with no time and no help. It probably wasn’t going to happen.” Ashley startled when Regina reached out and grabbed her hand. She allowed the contact for once. “When Zelena told me she was pregnant I begged her to keep you. Not for them. For myself.”_ _

__Ashley yanked her hand away. “What?”_ _

__“I figured if they were going to abort the pregnancy then they wouldn’t mind doing adoption either. Eventually they both agreed. The tour was put on hold and Zelena returned here to Storybrooke to carry out her pregnancy. To have you.”_ _

__“To have me…for you.” Ashley felt like she was about to hyperventilate and her headache had returned with a vengeance. “But, no. She changed her mind. My parents raised me.”_ _

__“No, they didn’t. Not right away.” Regina whispered. “Jefferson showed up at the door, drunk out of his mind.” She managed to roll her eyes through her tears. “Told me Zelena had gone into early labour. I rushed to the hospital to get to her. Get to you.” Her voice was incredibly soft now. “And Zelena was fine. But you were so sick.”_ _

_What the fuck?_ Regina must have seen the question in Ashley’s face.

__“FASD’s.”_ _

__“What the fuck is that?”_ _

__“Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.” Regina tried wiping away the tears that continued to fall. “God, I was too scared at the time to be mad at my sister. The first few days were torture. You were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit fighting so hard and I stayed with you the entire time. After a few days it was determined that your FAS wasn’t a severe case. I felt like I could breathe again for the first time in days.”_ _

__“What about my mom?” Ashley interrupted harshly. “When did she change her mind?”_ _

__Regina gave her a pained look. “Zelena was discharged first and Jefferson took her home. I stayed at the hospital. She came back when you were discharged. They left you with me basically in the parking lot and they left to go back on tour.”_ _

“No.” _Please, fuck, no._ “No. They wouldn’t. I remember being raised by them.” Ashley’s voice was getting louder. “When did they come back to get me?”

__“You were three.”_ _

__Ashley felt like the floor had given out under her. “What?” Her voice was choked. Regina looked like she wanted to pull the younger brunette into her arms but Ashley was glad she didn’t try to touch her just then._ _

“They’d had some kind of change of heart. They just showed up and tried to take you.” Ashley couldn’t look away from the haunted look in her aunt’s eye. _My aunt? What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?_

__“And you…just let them take me?”_ _

__Regina’s head snapped up. “No. Absolutely not. But, legally there was little I could do. I didn’t know Zelena had filled out your birth certificate with her own information. According to it…she was your mother. I tried to fight it but I had been running my first campaign and all my money was tied up…I had no access to anything. I tried to fight the court battle myself but your father hired a team of lawyers who specialized in that sort of case…and I lost.”_ _

__Ashley’s heart felt like it was physically breaking; from the look on Regina’s face her heart had been broken for a long time. “So they raised me after that?”_ _

__“Mhmm. For a while. They brought you back when you were almost ten. But by then…”_ _

__“I didn’t remember being here.”_ _

__“And I was aunt Regina.” The older brunette almost sobbed._ _

__Ashley grit her teeth. “Why have you never told me this?”_ _

__“Because when you were little you wouldn’t have understood. You had been raised a certain way and what was I supposed to do? Rip your world apart to make myself feel better?” Regina snapped back. Both brunettes stared down at the piano keys in silence for several long minutes._ _

_They never wanted me. They never wanted to have me or raise me. Raising me was just a mistake. Having me was just a mistake for them._ Tears streamed down her cheeks and she abruptly shoved herself away from the piano and off the bench. Regina snapped her head up startled.

__“What did you think this would change, huh?!” Ashley practically screamed. “That things would be better now and I’d call you mom?!”_ _

__“No. I told you this so I could apologize.” Regina swallowed thickly. Her words knocked the anger from the younger brunette._ _

__“What?”_ _

__“You’ve never understood why I hate your parents. I honestly don’t know what you thought. That I hated them because they were famous or rock stars or drug addicts.”_ _

_That they dumped a niece on you that you didn’t want and were forced to raise._

__“But that’s the reason.” Regina whispered. “They stole you from me and I never forgave them. When they brought you back, Ashley, god you barely talked. Barely laughed. Never sang. And the videos…”_ _

__“What videos?” Ashley felt like the floor was falling out from under her and the dizziness was back. She sat down right on the floor in the middle of the room._ _

__“Of them.” Regina spat. “Of your parents at parties and in hotels. With you there.” Regina whispered. “Who brings an eight year old to party? Who drinks and does drugs in front of their child?” She seemed to be talking to herself now. “I’ve always suspected that they reason they brought you back when they did is because child services were soon to get involved. Zelena told me that having a child around was cramping their style and that you’d be better with me. I haven’t seen them face to face since.”_ _

Ashley’s entire body was shaking. _I need a fucking drink._

__“So, I’m sorry for speaking badly about them to you without telling you the whole story. I’m sorry for hating them, and for letting you know that I hate them. I’m sorry for bringing it up to.”_ _

_Oh my god. Oh my god._ Ashley pulled her legs up and tucked her face into her knees so she could cry. She thought she would have to explain to Regina why she hated their arguments and Regina’s words because the woman never listened but she apologized without Ashley having to tell her.

_You are not the sum of your mistakes._ Ashley cried harder when the words were now tainted with the memory of yelling in Emma’s face; of trying to hit her. Bile rose and Ashley actually gagged and had to swallow. Regina half stood in concern.

_You are not the sum of your mistakes._

__“Regina?”_ _

__“Yes?”_ _

“I…” _You are not the sum of your mistakes. Make choices. Make different ones._ “I…I messed up last night.”

__“Are you okay?” Regina stood off the piano bench and crouched down before the crying brunette._ _

_She didn’t yell. She didn’t demand to know what I’d done. She didn’t accuse me of anything._

__Ashley scoffed to try and cover her tears; she knew she failed miserably. “Raging hangover, but I’ll live. I…I think I hurt some people last night.” Ashley directed the words to her lap because she couldn’t meet the elder brunettes face just then._ _

__“Is everyone else okay?”_ _

__“Um. I don’t know. I…I know I hurt Spencer’s feelings. And I think I hurt Aiden…like…physically… And maybe Emma…”_ _

__She couldn’t, wouldnt, look up at Regina but she could hear her take a calming breath. “Well, I know Ms. Swan is alright as she is the one who brought you home last night.”_ _

__“Yeah?” Ashley knew she sounded like a whining, hurt animal. “Was…she mad?”_ _

__“I don’t think she was pleased.” Regina admitted. “But, I think you should talk to her.”_ _

__“What about Spence?” Ashley choked on the name and she finally looked up when Regina hesitated._ _

__“I think you should talk to Emma before you try to talk to Spencer. And I will make sure that Mr. Dennison is alright.”_ _

__Ashley sniffed and hid her face again. “I’m sorry.”_ _

“For what, exactly?” Ashley could picture her aunt’s, _oh god what I am supposed to do with this now_ , arched eyebrow.

__“Everything, I guess.” She heard shuffling and was surprised that Regina had sat down on the floor with her._ _

__“Ashley. You’ve really scared me. More than you’ve made me angry and frustrated me, you’ve scared me. Your behaviour scares me and your drinking scares me.”_ _

__“I…I kinda scared myself last night too.”_ _

__“Ashley, do you think you have a drinking problem?”_ _

The _no_ was almost out of her mouth before she’d even thought of the question. _You hid the drinks yesterday because you knew Spencer wouldn’t like it. You even had the blonde there and were having fun and you still risked it._ “I don’t know.”

__Regina sighed. “I don’t want you to be upset, but I looked into a teenage rehab clinic.” Ashley looked up, stricken and angry, but Regina was speaking quietly while staring at the wall. “If I truly thought you needed it, I would make you go. Even knowing that you’d hate me, I’d make you do it if that’s what it took to stop you from becoming a fully-fledged alcoholic.”_ _

__Ashley’s voice was hoarse. “So you don’t think I need it?”_ _

__“Do you think you do?” Regina asked back. “You said yourself, you even scared yourself. If you want to go, if you think you need it, I will take care of everything and you can be there tomorrow.”_ _

“I don’t want to go.” Ashely voice’s was serious but it cracked. _But do you need it Davies?_ Flashes of hurting Aiden, trying to hurt Emma, Spencer’s hurt teary eyed face were all she could see. _I said I’m going to leave…What did you say to her...She said she didn’t want to drink and her date got plastered, who wouldn’t leave…So what, Spencer? You’re policing my alcohol intake now too? Who are you, my aunt…But it’s my choice to not hang out with you when you do it…What the fuck is this…when you’re thinking right you’ll thank me…The fuck is wrong with you, Ashley…Thought you could swoop in and what? Steal Spencer from me…You’re an idiot…You being drunk ruined it…Aiden. Let’s go…Of fucking course you’re here right now…You here to rub it in my face too…Ashley. Where is Spencer…Probably somewhere off fucking Aiden…No. You got yourself down there, you can get yourself back up…Fuck off, Swan. I feel sick…Fuck you…You’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you…Screw you…It looks like you’re stalking me. I knew you checked me out when you found me in the woods…And right now you’re being a brat…Maybe you don’t let anybody know you…Keep walking…I know that if Spencer never speaks to you again after whatever happened tonight than you have no one to blame but yourself…_

__“What can I do to prove to you that I don’t need rehab?”_ _

__Regina sighed. “Ashley, this is your life. I’m not going to gamble a deal on your safety.”_ _

“Okay. So what do you think I would need to do to prove to _myself_ that I don’t need it?” Ashley looked up into brown eyes; brown eyes exactly like her own. “I’ll make the deal with myself. And if I fail, I’ll consent to going to rehab.”

__**_ _

__“That was a really good catch, Emma.” August Booth commended her. He was a little scruffy, with a few days growth down his neck and wearing a leather jacket and motorcycle boots, but his eyes were intelligent and his smile easy. “Quick and easy, I like those ones. Getting him in church was a nice touch too.”_ _

__“Things pulled together nicely.” Emma agreed._ _

__“You come extremely highly recommended, you know. You seem to have a real knack for this sort of work. Why don’t you work in Los Angeles?” Both of them were well aware that California had the highest arrest record in the country per capita and, therefore, the most bail jumpers. “Just saying, Maine is the most peaceful state in the country.”_ _

__“Good.” Emma smirked. “Then my bail jumpers won’t try to choke me out with my seatbelt anymore.”_ _

__August stood and limped around to the front of his desk. “Fair enough. I happen to agree with you. One bail jumper stabbing me in the back of the knee was enough.”_ _

__Emma knew better than to show pity on her face so she simply nodded. “Agreed.”_ _

__“Well, here’s your cheque.” He passed her over an envelope. “Not a bad start for your first jump, but don’t get used to it.”_ _

__“You got it.”_ _

__“I’m sure you’ll be wanting to get back to your small town, what was it again? Storybook?”_ _

__“Storybrooke.” Emma internally cursed Sheriff Graham for crossing the line when invading her privacy; she chose not to question why she was no longer annoyed with Regina. She shrugged off August’s curious stare. “Small towns. What can you do, right?” He was still looking her at with a smirk, and a little curiosity, so Emma stood to leave. “Let me know when you have work for me.”_ _

__“Sure thing, Emma.”_ _

__Emma walked out of the building and back to Old Yeller. Her office had been easy enough to find in downtown Augusta. The building was simple brick and the sign stating Amerst Bail Bonds was even simpler. No fanfare at all was put into drawing clientele and really, Emma saw no point either. These days people Googled a list of the closest agencies or were given a list in jail; window decals and flowerboxes weren’t going to help. Generally, people walking in wanting sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars weren’t that picky._ _

__She drove a couple streets over and went directly to the bank. It wasn’t like she had fifty thousand in cash on her but Emma was used to never holding money of any kind. Less than fifteen minutes later she was back on the road heading for the highway to take her back to Storybrooke. She’d just merged from the main road when her cellphone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out, carefully, to check if it was Spencer; it wasn’t but she still answered it._ _

__“Hello?”_ _

__“Ms. Swan, hello.”_ _

__Emma put the phone on speaker, killed the radio, and set the phone down by the centre console. “Am I going to have to remind you every single time that it’s Emma?”_ _

__There was slight chuckle. “Emma. Did I catch you driving, I can call you back?”_ _

__“No, it’s fine. I’ve got you on speaker. I’m coming from work, had to finish the paperwork from my bail jumper and collect my fee.”_ _

__“So you did catch your car thief. Congratulations.”_ _

Emma smirked. “Technically he wasn’t a car thief. He didn’t steal cars.” _And I should know._ “He just accepted stolen cars and broke them down for parts to sell. Completely different.”

__“I stand corrected.”_ _

__Emma could practically feel Regina’s stern expression and arched eyebrow and it made her smile for a second. “So what can I do for you?”_ _

__“Oh. Um.”_ _

__The blonde had never really heard the brunette falter or stutter and she glanced at the phone wishing she could see the woman’s face. “Is Ashley okay?”_ _

__“Yes, as much as she can be. She’s quite hungover, though.”_ _

__“I’m not surprised. She took a fall or two, she didn’t seem actually hurt?”_ _

__“She didn’t mention it.” Regina paused. “She did mention she took a swing at you.”_ _

_Shit._ Emma hated the position she was now in. “Regina…I would have told you the entire story if you asked. And I wasn’t trying to hide information. And you will never hear me make excuses for violence,” she sighed and figured Regina could probably hear it, “but she was really out of it. And I was hoping she would tell you so I wouldn’t have to, because I didn’t want to cause even more contention.” The phone went silent and Emma worried. She knew Regina was defensive and well, prickly, and she didn’t know how the woman would react.

__“I understand.”_ _

__“You do?”_ _

__Regina scoffed. “Don’t sound so surprised.” Her voice softened a hair. “I understand you were in a difficult position and that you’re trying to look out for Ashley. She, well, she feels awful about trying to hit you. And for the things she said to you. I know she wants to try for your forgiveness. And Spencer’s.”_ _

__“The things she said are forgiven. Her attempt at violence is forgiven, but, not forgotten, Regina.”_ _

__“I understand that too. I told Ashley she would need to speak to you first before making any contact with Spencer. I mean, I know we can’t keep them apart at school, but,”_ _

__“Keeping them apart completely isn’t my intention. I still believe that they could be really good for each other. But, Ashley has some work to do on herself first.”_ _

__“I agree. And, actually, Ashley agrees.”_ _

__“Oh?”_ _

__“Yes. We finally had a, well, an honest discussion.”_ _

__“Did you mention the rehab?”_ _

__“I did. Ashley does not want to go, and she decided to prove to herself that she doesn’t need it. But in case she does, she actually already signed the papers to show me she was serious.”_ _

_That’s making a different choice, kiddo._ “Good. I’m proud of her. Tell her 6:30a.m. and 4:30p.m. when you see her.”

__“Of course, dear. And those are?”_ _

“The times of day I go jogging. She’s welcome to both, or either or neither. Up to her. If she shows up I’d be happy to run with her and maybe show her a few things. She’ll know where to meet me.” _You can do this, kid._ Emma’s hope had not been dashed and neither had her determination. She didn’t have it in her to watch a troubled teen just slip away; and for all the faults in their relationship she knew Regina wouldn’t allow it either. “Actually, I’ve got another idea to float by you too. How would you feel about giving some cooking lessons?”

__**_ _

__The veterinary office, like every single business in Storybrooke, was easy to find. It was a converted two story house with blue siding and an inviting air. Spencer opened the door a little nervously and an old fashioned brass bell gave away her presence._ _

__“Be with you in one sec.”_ _

__Spencer heard the voice from the back and she waited patiently. The front room had been converted to a waiting room but it was still homey and welcoming without that doctor’s office sterile air._ _

__“Hmm.” Spencer turned to look at the brunette who had emerged. She was wearing simple jeans and a tight fitting grey t-shirt. “A blonde I don’t recognize. You must be Spencer.”_ _

__“God, this town.” Spencer rolled her eyes. “But yes, I am. Nice to meet you.”_ _

__“You too.”_ _

__A small yip brought her attention down to her feet where a small dog had followed the woman from the back. Spencer crouched down and offered her hand. “Hi there.”_ _

__“That’s Toto. And I’m Dorothy, but I assume your mom told you that.”_ _

__“My sister.” Spencer corrected automatically._ _

__“Right.” Dorothy somewhat awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “My bad.”_ _

__“Happens all the time.” Spencer pet Toto a few more times before standing again._ _

__“Do you have a dog?” Dorothy snapped her fingers and Toto trotted back over to sit at her feet._ _

__“No, I’ve never had a pet. Emma and I move way too often, it would be almost cruel.”_ _

__“So, if you don’t have an animal I can’t imagine what brought you my veterinarian office except that Emma told you I’m an author.” She flashed a smile and gestured Spencer to the back with her. Each room in the house had seemingly been converted to an examination room that catered to a different animal. She saw one with charts of dogs and another with cats. One small laundry sized room was even filled with different bird stands and cages._ _

__The house still had a kitchen facing the backyard and Dorothy motioned for her to take a seat._ _

“Is it weird I came by?” Spencer second-guessed herself. “Emma told me you’d been published and I was just super excited. I’ve never really talked to an author before, except at a book signing of course but then you only get to talk to them for like one second and asking questions about their publishing company isn’t really the norm.” _Oh my god, stop rambling._

__Dorothy looked a little shocked and amused by her ramble and she was just reaching down to pet Toto aimlessly while she listened._ _

Spencer cleared her throat awkwardly. “So you wrote the Animal Eyes series? I haven’t read it but I researched it when Emma told me the author lived in town. Not that I wouldn’t read it! Just the first one was published when I’d already moved on from teen fiction.” _This might be the worst impression you’ve ever made._

__Thankfully, Dorothy just laughed. “It’s fine. Most teen fiction is terrible honestly. I barely tell people I’m a writer, Ruby is the one who hypes me up.”_ _

__Spencer caught the affectionate eye-roll and small smile. “Oh, are you and Ruby dating?”_ _

__Dorothy’s head snapped up from Toto. “What? Why would you say that?”_ _

__The blonde was startled. “Oh. Sorry. I just, your smile? I guess. Never mind. My sister is a lesbian and so am I, so I guess I just don’t think anything of it anymore. I didn’t mean to offend you or-”_ _

__“No, I’m not offended. Ruby is my best friend.”_ _

“Okay. Sorry.” _Good lord this is painful._ Dorothy sighed again.

__“Sorry, kid. You didn’t know you were stepping on a landmine. People have thought Ruby and I have been dating since we were younger than you.” She shook her head in exasperation. “It happened like, overnight too. Way too rushed. One second we met for the first time and then next second the whole class had us as true loves.”_ _

__“That’s annoying.”_ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__“So now if you date her you feel like you’re giving in and only doing it because they said so?”_ _

__Dorothy blinked. “So. Your publishing questions.” Her voice was still friendly and Spencer felt bad for bringing up something bad._ _

__“If it makes you feel better, I’ve been here like one minute and apparently I’m the bitch that finally broke Ashley Davies.” Dorothy snorted out a laugh and she relaxed marginally. “So, did you research different publishing companies or did you hit them all or, what was your method?”_ _

__Dorothy entertained her endless question for over a half an hour. She relaxed more and more the longer they talked and Spencer realized she was kind of like Emma; seeming tougher than she needed to be at first until she had assessed you further. Dorothy starting speaking about the next book in her series that she was just planning out._ _

__“What animal will it be this time? I know you’ve done wolves, ravens and horses.”_ _

__“You know, I wasn’t sure for the longest time because it seemed like any other animal would feel like a repeat of one of the originals you know?”_ _

“What did you finally settle on?”

“Swans.” _What?_ “Just kidding.” Dorothy smirked. “I’m doing hyenas actually.”

“Oh that’s cool. Did you know hyenas are actually one of the few species on earth that are matriarchal and the females rule?” _I’m sure she’s researched her own subject, Swan._ “What am I saying, of course you have."

__Dorothy laughed again. “I didn’t know that until I started looking for a species actually. At first I thought they’d be too close to writing from the wolves point of view but the female run society gives it an interesting perspective I think.”_ _

__“I think so too. So what made you do wolves first?” Spencer could have sworn she saw Dorothy blush._ _

__“It’s Ruby’s favourite animal. I wrote the first draft in high school.”_ _

__Spencer grinned. “Cute.”_ _

__“Shut up, Swan.” Dorothy grimaced. “Don’t tell your sister I told you to shut up.”_ _

__“Promise.” Dorothy walked her back to the door and Spencer told her thank you again. She’d gotten a list of publishers from Dorothy and even a promise to edit her work sometime. “Oh, and Dorothy? Just because people have been talking about it forever, doesn’t mean they’re wrong.”_ _

__She hit the front step and heard Dorothy block the front door from shutting. “Hey, blondie. Just because people have been talking about it for a minute doesn’t mean they’re wrong.”_ _

__Spencer nodded. “Possibly.”_ _

_Ashley certainly got under my skin fast enough. But right now it just seems like Ashley likes her lifestyle more._

__**_ _

__Regina walked up the driveway to Kathryn’s house and because the blonde knew she would be coming this time she was waiting on the porch. “Regina.”_ _

__“Kathryn.” She smiled lightly at the blonde but her friend didn’t return it._ _

__“Come in. You look tired. Wine?”_ _

__“Thank you. Gee thanks.” This time accompanied by an eye-roll. “And yes please.” She hung up her coat by the front door and smiled politely at Frederick as she headed for the kitchen. “Evening Frederick.”_ _

__“Regina. How are you?”_ _

__“Fine, thank you.” As much as she talked to Kathryn, and knew the blonde probably spoke to her husband, Regina didn’t open up to him the same way._ _

__“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Regina.” The brunette clearly heard Kathryn hiss her husband’s name and figured whatever he was about to say he didn’t have her go-ahead about it. She arched an eyebrow and fixed him with her professional, mayoral look. “I was just wondering if you’d given any thought to lifting Peter Gold’s benching from the team? It’s just, he’s my first string power forward and I know you wouldn’t want the team to lose a game.” He shot her a grin and a shoulder shrug that, instead of putting her at ease, put her on edge._ _

_Shit. I’d almost forgotten about the imp’s spawn._ “Of course I’ve given it thought, Frederick. I also gave it some thought when I deemed he should be benched from the team. He grabbed a girl inappropriately and without her consent.”

__“Innapro- c’mon Regina. He touched the girls arm.”_ _

__Regina almost bared her teeth. The instinct that made her such a good lawyer and politician reared its head. “And how would you know that? To my understanding you didn’t witness the fight which is how you were mistaken into believing Ashley was involved?”_ _

__Frederick sputtered. “I didn’t witness it. But the whole team agrees that’s what happen when she took him down. She almost broke his wrist for touching her arm-”_ _

__“Which is still an inappropriate and non-consensual touch, unless I’m mistaken Mr. Knight. Or does that sound appropriate to you? Perhaps I should take a closer look at the rest of the basketball team. If their position dictates what punishment they receive perhaps I should take those kinds of decisions out of your hands.”_ _

__Frederick, now red-faced, opened his mouth to argue some more but Kathryn intervened. “Okay enough. Fred, go away. Regina, please join me in the kitchen?”_ _

The brunette actually considered leaving but she nodded and followed the blonde who was quickly getting them wineglasses. Regina was trying to ignore how she’d gone full Mayor Mills, _hell almost full Evil Queen_ , in defence of Spencer. After everything Emma had done, and planned to do, for Ashley, Regina knew she could do no less for Spencer. _And she is genuinely a dear._

__“Ignore Frederick.” Kathryn passed a glass of red over and Regina sipped it. “He just gets too locked on about the team and maybe finally winning a championship. I told him not to bring it up and that I would when I felt it was time.”_ _

__Regina made a non-comital noise and Kathryn huffed._ _

__“C’mon, I’ve been dying to know since you called me. What’s up? How did the talk with Ashley go?”_ _

_Heartbreaking. Heart-wrenching. Devastating. Cathartic._ “Fine, dear.” _I shouldn’t have told her. She has too much going on right now. She didn’t even bring it up again. Oh god, what must she be thinking._

__“What did you decide?”_ _

“ _We_ decided that Ashley would have this semester. That she would turn her behaviour around and pass all of her classes this semester. That she would get her drinking under control. If she can’t then she’ll go to the rehab centre for the next semester.” _God, waking up with the memories of last night must have really scared her._

__Kathryn’s eyebrows had arched. “Wow. I told you passing her classes is ambitious, if not impossible.”_ _

__“She knows that. She’s confident she can convince her teachers to assign extra credit.”_ _

__The principal sighed. “Regina. It sounds great. That Ashley can just stop drinking and start doing fabulously in school. But things don’t work like that. You’ve already been here once telling me that things were going to be different and according to the rumour mill at school last night Ashley was a disaster.”_ _

“I know, Kathryn.” _I know more than you do about it._ “And I was right, it still is different. Ashley just…” Regina forced the images from the Cortagen website and the survivor stories from her mind, “needed to hit rock bottom. And now she knows it. She already signed the papers, Kathryn. I just have to file them and she goes. And Em- Ms. Swan has agreed to help her as well.” _Fuck._ Kathryn was already grinning.

__“Emma? As in Ms. Swan, bounty hunter covered in tattoos and whom you had dinner with already?”_ _

_How the fuck?_ “And just who did you hear that gossip from?”

“From the most reliable source.” Kathryn gave an evil grin. “Henry.” _Damnit._ “Well, Henry told Mary-Margaret and she told,”

“Let me guess, the entire town?” Regina snarled. _That fucking woman never learns. Wait til she gets it from me over this one._

__“Yes, yes, the woman is a gossip and couldn’t hold her mouth closed even if she was drowning. But let’s skip this angry part because I’ve heard it before and get back to the part where you had dinner with the sexy new woman in town.”_ _

__Regina sputtered. “Sex- Kathryn you’re straight and married.”_ _

__“Am I blind as well? Regina, the woman is sexy. That’s undeniable.” She tilted her head now. “Although I’m surprised the tattoos are your thing.”_ _

“That surprised me as well.” Regina muttered into her wineglass. _Fuck._

__Kathryn gasped. “Oh my god, you do like her. Spill.”_ _

“There’s nothing to spill, Kathryn. Yes, I invited her over for dinner as a thank you and all three of our children were present the entire time.” _Except for the end. Except for when I got to talk to her not as the Mayor or the Evil Queen but just as Regina._

__“Tell me, is her stomach as hard as it looks? And her legs, oh my god. Cruella told me she saw the pair of them out running and that Swan had legs for days. The older Swan, obviously.” Kathryn scrunched up her face._ _

__Regina was getting flushed. “I have not seen nor felt her stomach, Kathryn. Just what exactly do you think went on at dinner?”_ _

__The blonde waved a careless hand. “So when are you going on a date?”_ _

__“Kathryn!”_ _

__“What? Regina I’m old and boring and married. I need to live through you.”_ _

__Regina glared. “Kathryn I am older than you and I’m raising two kids. One of whom is an unruly teenager. I don’t have a social life.”_ _

__“You didn’t, until a tattooed stranger came blazing into town.”_ _

__“She didn’t blaze in, for heaven’s sake. She brought her teenage sister with her. And what is your obsession with the fact she’s tattooed?”_ _

__Kathryn was barely listening to her. “I haven’t been close enough yet to see what exactly the tattoos are. What could you possibly care about enough to ink all over yourself?”_ _

__Regina smirked into her wineglass. “A snake. A watch. A flag. A symbol. A sword. Some bats. A book.”_ _

“Oh yeah, you’re not into tattoos _at all_.” Kathryn laughed. “Regina. You’re allowed to live your life even while things with Ashley are tough. I say date the woman before another woman in town does."

__“You shouldn’t automatically assume someone’s sexuality just because of how they dress, Kathryn. How do you know she’s not straight?”_ _

__“Please. She’s gay. And if you’re not careful one of the others in this town willing to swing that way are going to try for her. There’s Cruella, and Mal, and Mulan, Ruby or Dorothy if they haven’t figured their shit out yet,”_ _

__Kathryn kept talking but Regina was fixed on her wineglass._ _

_Over my dead body._


	7. The Other Two F's

The sight of the black Porsche caught Emma’s attention immediately as she slowly jogged up to the beginning of the running trail in the woods. She saw Ashley leaned up against the side of the car and, probably, watching her behind dark purple aviator sunglasses. 

The fact that the teenager had beaten her here this early in the morning said something to Emma but she kept her face neutral as she approached her. Ashley was wearing her running capris and a tank top even though it was a little brisk out in the Maine morning. 

Emma started to stretch her legs and when Ashley made no motion to join her the blonde arched an eyebrow. She could have sworn she heard the brunette huff but she dutifully stretched herself out. 

When Emma walked for the trail Ashley fell into step beside her and they picked up their pace to a jog. It wasn’t like with Spencer because it took them a bit to find a pace they could both settle into with a workable rhythm. 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Ashley finally muttered.

Emma noted how hoarse her voice sounded. _From crying or lack of use?_ She considered who she was talking about. _Or perhaps you’ve been singing nonstop to try and work out your feelings, hmm?_ “What exactly are you apologizing for?”

Ashley shrugged. “All of it. You know. Trying to hit you or whatever.” 

The blonde sighed. “I forgive you for trying to punch me, Ashley.”

“Forgiven, but not forgotten right?”

Emma recognized the words she had said to Regina and she was glad because it meant perhaps they’d actually spoken to each other. “Can you understand why I’d say that?”

“Yeah.” Ashley pushed her sunglasses back up so they’d continue to hide her eyes. 

“So why did it happen?” Emma pushed lightly and increased her pace by half a step; Ashley followed the rhythm and kept in line. 

“I don’t know.”

_You gotta do better than that, kiddo._ Emma continued to run and she purposefully said nothing. Her breathing was calm and steady and she could tell that Ashley was having difficulty matching it. The only sounds were their breaths, footsteps and the wind faintly whistling through the trees; apparently Ashley couldn’t handle the silence as well as Emma could. 

“You have nothing to say?”

“I thought you wanted to talk.”

“I do!”

“So, talk to me. When did the night start going wrong?”

“I don’t know!” 

Ashley’s footsteps fell with a little more aggression and Emma increased their pace again. Ashley wasn’t struggling with the speed, yet, but her breathing was off and Emma knew if she didn’t get herself under control she’d end up with a stitch soon. 

“Why won’t you say anything?”

“Because you’re not. If you don’t know the answer because you haven’t sorted your feelings out yet, then just tell me something. Anything.” _C’mon kiddo, let me in._

“I haven’t said anything because I don’t know! The day was going fine! We were all hanging out and enjoying ourselves and then everything just went to shit instantly.”

Emma could hear the crack in the brunette’s voice and knew no matter how flippant she was being that she was broken up about it. She seemed to realize that Emma wouldn’t say anything. 

“I started drinking, alright? I was taking shots like all day long. And when I drank before the performance and got all amped up it was just too much and it went straight to my head.”

“Do you see something wrong with what you did?”

Now Ashley said nothing. _If she thinks she has more patience than me she’s wrong. I think 8 year old Spence had more patience than this kid._

“I knew Spence wouldn’t like it.” Ashley finally mumbled. “That’s why I hid it.” The pain in her voice was apparent; Emma knew, without hesitation, that at least the brunette actually did care for her sister. 

“We’re not talking about Spencer right now. We’re talking about you.”

“It was just some drinks.”

_And there’s that wall._ “Ashley. You hurt someone. You actually injured Aiden. One of your best friends.”

“I know that.” Ashley spat. 

“Have you spoken to him?”

“He won’t take my calls.”

“Can you blame him?”

“Yes!” Ashley huffed, and then groaned. “No. I wouldn’t want to talk to me either.” She pushed her sunglasses up again. 

“You threw something very heavy and strong at him.” She watched Ashley’s jaw clench. “Were you aiming?”

“What?” Ashley actually lost stride for a second and almost stumbled as she whipped around. 

“You heard me. Were you aiming? Did you pick it up and intentionally aim for his back as he walked away or did you just blink and realize you’d thrown it?”

“What does that matter?”

“It matters because one way means you have malicious intent inside you that you need to come to terms with. The other means you’re so out of control you don’t know what you’re doing.” Emma’s words were blunt and she saw Ashley forcing herself not to react. “Ashley. You could have hurt Spencer.”

Ashley’s face broke and she stuttered to a stop. She bent down with her hands on her knees and hid her face from Emma. The blonde slowed to a stop and walked backwards beside the teenager. 

“And I said I would help you Ashley. But you gotta be truthful with me.”

She looked up and Emma could tell, even with the large glasses, that tears were leaking from her eyes. “I would _never_ hurt Spencer.” 

“Intentionally, I believe that. But I also wouldn’t have said you’d intentionally hurt Aiden either. Move.” Emma jerked her head and when she turned to start running without the brunette Ashley forced herself into step beside her again. “What about when you tried to strike me? Were you intentionally trying to punch me in the face, or did it just happen?”

“I- no.” Ashley huffed. _Her breathing still isn’t right._ “I didn’t mean to hurt Aiden. Or you.”

“So you were out of control.” 

“I guess.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Not like that. But sometimes I just do things. Sometimes I sleep with people and not really mean to or whatever.”

Emma kept her face neutral at the admission. She kept the teenager running because Ashley couldn’t keep her guard up while she focussed on her lungs and her legs. “So drinking makes you lose control. So why do you drink?”

“I don’t know.”

_Not this again. Come on kid. We both know what you don’t want to say._ Emma just focussed on her breathing, slow and steady, so that Ashley could try to match it. 

“I was angry.”

“About what?”

“What don’t I have to be angry about?” Ashley spat. 

“I don’t know.” Emma arched an eyebrow. “You were hanging out and having a good time with your friends and Spencer.” She could practically hear Ashley’s teeth click together.

“I don’t know. You started it. You got me thinking and pissed me off.”

Emma was almost startled but didn’t show it. “And what did I do?”

“You were saying shit about my parents. And judging them and shit.” _There it is._ “You were judging that they aren’t here and raising me and that they only call me or whatever. And then I couldn’t stop thinking about when the last time my mother fucking called me was. And I know what you think of them.”

“And what do _you_ think of them?”

“They’re my parents!”

_And sometimes parents are fucking terrible. Trust me, kid, I would know._ “You didn’t answer the question.” 

Ashley huffed and now she tried to speed up the pace. Emma assumed she was trying, whether unconsciously or not, to run from the question. Emma kept up easily. They were now getting closer to the pace she jogged with Spencer. 

“What the fuck do you want me to say?” Ashley snapped.

“I don’t _want_ you to say anything. I just want you to tell me how you’re feeling.” 

“I feel like my parents abandoned me in this fucking town because they didn’t want me anymore! That they care so little they don’t even call anymore! There, is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?”

“No, I’m not happy, Ashley.”

They finished their run in silence. 

**

“You know, when you begged me to hang out with you after school, and pleaded with me for the use of my vehicle this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” Aiden drawled from the front seat while Spencer rolled her eyes across from him.

“I’m pretty sure you’re being a little loose with the sequence of events there, Dennison.” Spencer smiled. She had in reality just mentioned that she had something to do and would be going home to, hopefully, borrow Old Yeller from her sister. Aiden had jumped on the chance to hang out and had offered to drive the blonde wherever she needed to go. Apparently, the town grocery story wasn’t what she had in mind. Spencer knew the reason Aiden would have jumped at the chance to go literally anywhere; he wasn’t allowed to participate in basketball practice. Mr. Knight had agreed that he would probably be fine and that there was no serious cause for alarm but that he wasn’t taking any chances with his star player when he was already down Peter Gold. Mr. Knight had pressed Aiden for answers about how he had injured his shoulder but the athlete, apparently even when angry, was loyal and told his coach nothing. 

“Seriously, your sister makes you do the grocery shopping? Maybe she’s more strict than I thought.” 

“She isn’t making me, and this isn’t actually for her.” Spencer climbed out of the truck and Aiden was waiting for her at the hood. “Mayor Mills agreed to give me cooking lessons.”

Aiden’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”

Spencer grabbed a basket from just inside the doors and pulled out her phone to peruse the list of items Regina had texted her. “Yeah, Emma and her made some kind of deal. I, well Emma, will pay for half the groceries and then bring them to the mansion where Regina will give me cooking lessons. I only have to pay half because Regina and Henry will be eating too, obviously. She’s not charging anything for her time or whatever.”

“And Ashley.”

“Hmm?” Spencer examined the oranges in front of her and pretended that she hadn’t heard what Aiden said. 

“Regina, and Henry, and Ashley. She does live there too.” 

“I know.”

“So once a week you’re going over there to cook for Ashley and Emma is totally fine with this?” Aiden didn’t sound mad, just confused. He took the basket from Spencer seemingly without thought and looped the handle onto his forearm. 

“I guess? Look, because of what happened Emma told me I can’t party or hangout with Ashley because she has the potential to get violent when she drinks. But I guess I can still see her at the mansion under Regina’s supervision.” She realized that sounded like they needed a babysitter but she understood better than most where her sister was coming from. _And maybe Ashley does need a babysitter._

“Do you even want to? Still see Ashley?” Aiden spoke softly and was idly poking at potatoes so he didn’t have to look at her. 

_Do I?_ “I’m not really sure.” _Who are you trying to kid, Swan?_ Spencer eyed the tall teenager carrying her basket and realized he’d been nothing but a friend to her. “Yes, I do. I just…really click with some sides of Ashley. And I adore that. I told you, it’s the side of her drinking excessively that I don’t really like.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t really think Ashley likes that side of herself either.” Aiden said nothing and Spencer gently moved him along through the produce section. “Do you? Want to see her?”

He exhaled roughly. “We’ve been friends a long time, Spence. Years and years. And our years as friends were way better than our time dating was. But still…”

“I know you’ve put up with a lot, Aiden.” Spencer figured that the little bit he had told her wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. 

“Yup. But shit, she’s done a lot for me too. More than I ever asked for. Hell, she’d give me the shirt off her back if I was willing to wearing it.” He reached for the container of buttermilk when it was out of Spencer’s reach. “You know, we were in like grade 4 or 5 when it became important that Ash’s dad was a rock star. Before that we might have known it but it didn’t really mean anything you know? Suddenly it was like, shit your dad is famous. Back then if you typed Jefferson Davies and the Mad Hatters into Google you wanna know what was the first video that came up?”

_Probably not._ “What?”

“Ashley’s dad pulling out his dick on stage during a concert at the Pavillion in Phoenix.”

_Oh my god ew._ “And everyone in your class watched it?”

“Class? Practically the whole fucking school. Ashley had to come to class the next day knowing the entire school had seen her dads dick and then watched him get dragged off stage by security.”

_Oh Ashley. I’m sorry honey._ “What did she do?”

Aiden gave a sad smirk. “What do you think she did? She’s Ashley Davies. She played like she adored the attention. She can play the rock star princess persona to a tee. It became cool or whatever. She’d come to class and entertain us at recess about how her dad was doing blow somewhere and cops showed up and how her mom had to flash the police to distract them and shit. I mean, it was totally messed up, but we were kids stuck in rural Maine where nothing ever happened. Ashley and her stories were so, I don’t know, exotic, I guess. And she learned how to work a crowd.”

“That’s how Ashley became queen bee?”

“That and the money. She didn’t become pretentious with it, but she used it to her advantage though. She’d walk into the pizza place and buy pizza for like 20 people or show up to a hangout with the latest video games, anything really. She was willing to throw her money around and how could we not appreciate it?”

_God he looks so sad._ “You saw more than the money though, didn’t you?”

“Damn right I did. The goofy Ashley that she shows you? Madison and I have met her too. The one that has a Playstation 4 but still prefers to play Mario Kart on an Nintendo 64.” He shook his head now. “When do things balance out, Spence? Your friend buys you the birthday present your parents couldn’t afford and then sneaks you into her house and lets you sleep in her bed, which she gets into trouble for, just so you don’t have to hear your parents fighting. But then she also turns around and violently tries to maim you. When do the scales tip from being a good friend to being a shitty one?”

“God, Aiden, I don’t know. I wish I could answer that. Only you know your relationship with Ashley. Only you know whether this is something you can forgive or not. And my sister taught me a lot about forgiveness. You don’t have to forget something you’ve forgiven.”

“I forgive I don’t forget?” He said it playfully and Spencer chuckled. 

“I’m serious!” She tried to hip check him but it felt like trying to nudge a tree. “You can forgive a situation but choose not to put yourself in that situation again because you haven’t forgotten it.”

Aiden nodded but chose to move on. “So, I almost forgot how we got on to this subject oh yeah,” he didn’t hesitate for a second, “you somehow agreeing to cooking lessons with the Evil Queen.”

When Aiden said it Spencer could suddenly hear what Emma had heard all along. _God that is mean._ She smacked him in the ribs with the back of her hand. “That’s mean, Aiden, don’t call her that.”

“What? She’s mean, I’m telling you. Ashley has told me stories for years. Not to mention she’s terrifying. When she found me in Ashley bed this one time,” he glanced down when Spencer arched an eyebrow. 

“You think Regina is terrifying because of that? Any parent is terrifying when they find their kid in bed with somebody. Can you imagine _Emma_ if she found somebody in my bed?”

Aiden winced. “I see your point. Okay fine. So you’re not allowed to party with Ashley and instead you’re hanging out with her aunt, is what you’re telling me? Yeah, cause this will go over well.” 

“Shut up, it’ll be fine.” _God I hope it’s going to be fine._

_I really want to see her._

**

Regina knew she was probably going to be late as she jogged quickly to her Mercedes and then kept herself from speeding over to the elementary school. _Hopefully Henry hasn’t been waiting too long._ She knew he would probably be absorbed into a book or a video game and he always said he didn’t mind but she hated the thought of him sitting outside the school stuck waiting for her. _Stuck waiting with Ms. Blanchard._

Regina pulled her car into the Kiss ‘N Ride and her eyebrows nearly arched off her face at the scene she was witnessing. She pulled on her mayoral mask and strode from the car like she was going into combat. 

“Are you actually kidding me right now?” 

Regina knew that agitated voice but for once it wasn’t aimed in her direction. Henry was standing and turning his head somewhat frantically between Ashley and Ms. Blanchard like he was watching a game of tennis. 

“I’m afraid it’s against the rules, Miss Mills.” 

Regina almost grinned at the somewhat vicious glare that Ashley directed at the naïve teacher who constantly grated her nerves. “It’s _Davies_ and you know it.”

“What seems to be the problem here?” Regina asked with her own glare for the teacher. She delighted, inwardly, that Henry looked relieved to see her. 

“Mayor Mills.” Ms. Blanchard didn’t look nearly as happy at her presence. “I was just explaining to Ashley that I couldn’t allow her to pick Henry up from school because she isn’t his parent. Or guardian.” The last was tacked on a second too late and both brunettes glared once more at the raven hared teacher. 

“This is ridiculous.” Ashley scowled and turned to Regina. “I came to the high school because I was trying to see- someone…but when they weren’t here and I was leaving I saw Henry waiting. I figured I’d just take him home and text you that we’d be at the mansion. But she wouldn’t let him come home with me.”

_She was trying to do the nice thing for Henry._

Ashley was still scowling. “It’s not like I’m a fu-lipping stranger.” It took everything in Regina to keep her glare on Ms. Blanchard and not even look over at Ashley to acknowledge her near slip. She briefly debated about how to play this and finally smiled down at Henry. 

“Henry, do you have all your things? Go with Ashley, she’ll drive you home and I’ll be right behind you.” Henry looked elated now and Ashley was shocked. 

“Uh. Right.” She gestured to him with her head and nodded towards her Porsche. “Let’s go little dude.” She looked back at Regina and the elder brunette almost sighed as she seemed to be asking _are you sure about this?_

“Thank you for thinking of him.” Regina smiled. She could still the tiredness in the bags under Ashley’s eyes but she didn’t think for a second that she wasn’t capable of driving. _Oh Ash. Were you trying to find Aiden, or Spencer?_

“Yeah. No problem.” Ashley shot Ms. Blanchard another look and finally turned to her car where Henry was already perched happily in the passenger’s seat.

“I’m glad you showed up when you did, Regina.” Ms. Blanchard attempted a smile that Regina could see through. She grit her teeth over the forced familiarity as well. “Ashley was getting upset and that’s not good for Henry.”

_How dare you tell me what is good for Henry._ “And just why was there a scene at all, Ms. Blanchard? The school’s mandate states clearly that any family member may pick up a student unless otherwise so stated by the parent or guardian.” She stressed the last word. “I know because I wrote the school charter. I also know I haven’t explicitly stated that Ashley is not to pick Henry up from school. So I ask you again, why was there a scene?”

She enjoyed when Ms. Blanchard sputtered. “I was just trying to do what’s best for Henry.”

Regina saw red. “And in your opinion, Henry not spending time with,” _not my daughter,_ “his cousin is in his best interest. Just who do you think you are?” She barely realized she’d physically advanced a step on the teacher. “It is not your right, nor your place, to decide anything that has to do with Henry. I am his mother, and it is _my_ decision who Henry will or will not spend time with.”

Ms. Blanchard clearly tried to stand up for her morals but her lower lip trembled under the mayor’s ire. “There’s been a lot of talk lately about Ashley drinking and she was trying to put Henry in her car. I just,”

“You will mind your tongue concerning gossip and slander Ms, Blanchard.” Regina hissed. “And you will never insinuate that I am unfit to make decisions in Henry’s best interest again.” Emma’s face suddenly came to mind and she remembered Emma’s own angry words. “But that seems to be your speciality, doesn’t it?” Regina advanced another step. “I heard you made quite a fool of yourself thinking that you knew what was better for Miss Swan than her own guardian did.” The teacher flushed in embarrassment, and surprise, and Regina pressed her advantage. “It seems you still haven’t learned to keep your mouth shut about matters that are _none of your business_.” 

“I- I didn’t mean to upset Emma,”

“Ms. Swan doesn’t yet know what a gossip you are, or the fact that you keep personal information to yourself about as well as a sieve holds water, otherwise I suspect she wouldn’t have shared any details about her and Miss Swan’s private life in front of you at all. But make no mistake if rumours start running this town about choices Emma made for the good of her sister, I _will_ hold you responsible for it.”

Regina turned on her heel and left before the teacher could even attempt to get a word in. She forced herself to calm down as she got back in the Benz if only so she could immediately drive away from the woman. 

_God she irritates me!_ Regina hadn’t exactly planned on going off on the teacher but her callous comments to Emma had angered her as well as her treatment of Ashley. She knew that Emma could handle the looks and the gossip that she’d receive in this town anyway but Ms. Blanchard was _her_ problem to deal with. She had seriously considered having Henry switch classes but he had asked her not to and Kathryn had also warned her about overtly interfering in things outside the mayor’s office. 

_One day that naïve woman will get what is coming to her. And after her comments about Spencer I’m sure now Emma will enjoy it as much as I will._

** 

Ashley ran her fingers so lightly up and down the fretboard that the vintage Gibson Hummingbird guitar didn’t even make a sound. The glossy, jet black instrument rest across her thighs were she was crossed legged sitting on the floor in one corner of her music room. She’d actually come in here to play her violin, or maybe her cello, but she’d picked up the acoustic without even really realizing it. 

Guitars always made her think of her father. She remembered being a little girl on the Mad Hatters tour bus and her dad holding her on his lap while she held a guitar and he helped her to strum it. _He wasn’t a terrible dad, right? He taught me to play the guitar._

Ashley’s left hand quickly danced over the frets and played a simple scale as she picked the strings easily with the nails on her right fingers and thumb. 

_I guess he didn’t really teach me that much because I had to teach myself later._ Ashley spread her finger into different patterns and moved through the chords fluidly and without pause. She never hesitated or second-guessed herself; her fingers landed perfectly every time and she strummed the guitar easily. 

_One time he played the guitar with me. How many hours was I left alone on that bus? How many hours did I spend playing with their stuff while I waited for them to come back? That’s how I first taught myself to play around on a guitar._

Ashley changed from mindlessly playing chords to coaxing a tune and rhythm from the instrument. Notes filled the room softly as she basically caressed the Gibson with her eyes closed. The tune ebbed and flowed, changing form until it was a recognizable song. She played the bridge gently twice before singing softly. 

_“When you're dialing 6 numbers just to hang up the phone_   
_Driving across town just to see if she's home_   
_Waking a friend in the dead of the night_   
_Just to hear him say its going to be alright_   
_When you're finding things to do not fall asleep_   
_Because you know she’ll be there in your dreams_   
_That's when she's more than a memory”_

When Ashley played she was free from the stress and anxiety, and anger, that normally plagued her and she felt lighter; but even now she couldn’t get the hurt look from a certain blonde out of her mind. She played the Gibson with a little more heart now, the guitar reflecting the pain and the sadness in her voice. 

_“Because when you're talking out loud but nobody's there_   
_You look like hell and you just don't care_   
_Drinking more than you ever drank_   
_Sinking down lower than you ever sank_   
_When you find yourself falling down upon your knees_   
_Praying to god, begging him please_   
_That's when she's more than a memory”_

She let her voice fade away and she strummed a few more notes before opening her eyes and letting the instrument fall silent. She looked to the open door where Regina leaned against the frame.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t, it’s fine.” Ashley watched her warily. She couldn’t help now thinking about the last talk she’d had with Regina in this room. _Where she’d changed everything. No, don’t go there Davies. Don’t even go there._

“I just wanted to talk to you for one second.”

Ashley sighed. “Are we going to need another duet?” She almost cracked a smile when Regina did. 

“I don’t think so.” She hesitated and Ashley got nervous. “Maybe. It’s about Spencer.”

Ashley felt something inside her crack and her fingers tensed around the guitar. “I already know I’m like, banned from hanging out with her. I wasn’t trying to stalk her at school or anything I swear.” _Except I kind of was._ “I just wanted to catch her and Aiden and…you know, apologize. I thought…school might be better than like going to her house.” 

Regina looked sympathetic. “Aiden still not returning your calls?”

Ashley didn’t want to see her pity so she looked down at the cracked screen of her cellphone instead. “Could be this piece of shit phone, for all know.” _You wish Davies._

“I’m sure he’ll come around. Anyway, going to the school isn’t what I wanted to talk to about you. Spencer is actually coming over here.”

Ashley’s grip on the 5 thousand dollar instrument went slack. “What?”

“Spencer is coming over here this evening.”

“Why?” Ashley felt like her throat was closing and her brain was running slow.

“Emma asked me if I would be willing to give Spencer some cooking lessons. Apparently they’re both hopeless and Emma feels that Spencer should at least know the basics. I agree with the sentiment and agreed to teach her.”

_Spencer is coming over here. Spencer is coming over to this mansion. And she’s coming to see Regina, not me._ “Um. Emma…is okay with this?” _Obviously, she suggested it, stupid._ “I mean, okay with…me…being here?”

“She knows you live here, Ashley.” Regina came a little more into the room. Ashley watched her eyes flit to the piano and wondered if she was thinking about their last talk too. “I don’t think it was her intention to ban you from ever seeing Spencer. I just think that, well,”

“She no longer trusts me with Spencer.”

“I think she no longer trusts your actions when you’ve been heavily drinking.” Regina said this quietly.

“Right.” 

“Ashley. I think she did this for _you_. And for Spencer. She can’t trust you hanging out with Spencer alone out in Storybrooke but she’s still giving you a way to see her. Here.”

“With you as a babysitter.” She knew her voice sounded petulant and that Regina wouldn’t take it; she didn’t.

“Ashley. If you don’t want to take advantage of the situation, if you don’t want to come down and socialize with Spencer and, yes, with me, then don’t. Sit up here and lament about mistakes and past choices. I thought though that you were going to start making different ones?”

Her aunt turned and left the room, shutting the door with a quiet click behind her. She continued to hold the guitar but she didn’t play anything.

_Different choices._

**

“Okay Henry, your,” Regina almost stuttered, “Ashley is upstairs in the music room if you need anything, I’ll only be gone for an hour or so I just have some work to finish at the office. Please get your homework done before comic books or video games, please.” She said the word please but with her arched eyebrow they both knew it wasn’t a request. 

Henry still gave her a smile when she kissed him goodbye and headed out of the mansion once again. _This town would fall apart without me, I swear._

The plumbing issue in the town was apparently more convoluted than originally anticipated. It now appeared like Regina would have to rearrange the town budget and find money to help pay for all the construction and repairs the town was in for. 

The first thing she always did in upcoming financial crisis was suspend the allocation of money that paid the salaries of town council. Of the six other members that made up the council, all of them had jobs outside of council with salaries of their own. Graham and Kathryn never complained about the occasional lack of paycheck for completing the council duties; Graham because he would never argue with her, period, and Kathryn because she was usually the one hearing about how stressed Regina was about the situation. 

On the other hand Russel Gold, Albert Spencer, Mother Superior and Geoffrey Doc, the head of the Miners Association, were only too happy to complain about the cutting of their paycheck.

“You’d think they don’t even care about the town.” Regina hissed to herself as she gathered her purse and walked back into Town Hall to her office. Regina pulled up all the documents for the budget and spread them across her desk. As much as she wanted to she couldn’t just take more money from Mother Superior and the nuns; she already had enough problems with them and Regina would never actually take her personal feelings for the woman out in a professional manner. 

_It’ll have to be something public._ Regina hated these decision the most. Taking something away from the town made her feel like a failure even if she was doing it so that the town could still have running water. She went back into the filing cabinet and pulled out the documents for the three times in the last eight years she had been forced to take money away from the town.

She spent twenty minutes flipping through the billing and budgeting invoices before she starting calculating her decision because if she had to take from the people she at least didn’t want it to effect the same direct citizens as she had last time. 

Regina had just started making notes to herself when her phone chimed. She reached for it instantly because it could be Henry, _or maybe Ashley would even text me now_ , and she ended up smiling because, while it wasn’t either one of them, it was a certain blonde.

[I’ve discovered another reason your town is insane.]

[Enlighten me.] Regina rolled her eyes and tried to turn her attention back to the budgets but her phone was already chiming with an incoming text. 

[So I decided I needed to stop in at the hardware store because I used the last of my zip-ties and I needed to buy more, right?]

Regina gave a quizzical look to her phone. _Where is she going with this?_ [Seems logical.]

[And because the town is so tiny I figure I’m going to walk it, right?]

[Also seems logical.] _And if your legs in those jeans is any indication you could handle walking to Portland if you wanted to._ Regina set the phone down with the intention of reading the next paragraph of her budget report no matter what but the second her phone chimed she was already reaching for it. 

[So I’m walking to the hardware store and I end up walking behind a bunch of miners. A whole group of them.]

[Quite common in this town, dear. A large percentage of the townspeople are miners.]

[That’s not the ridiculous part, Regina! So, I’m walking behind these miners and one miner turns to the other miner and says “why does everyone love gold?” and another miner turns to him and says “you can’t help but dig it!”]

Regina blinked at her phone. [Is this a joke?]

[No! It’s a story of what happened to me today on my way to buy zip-ties. So I continue walking and another miner says “why did the miner take a balloon ride in a thunderstorm?” And another of the group says “because he heard every cloud had a silver lining!”]

[I’m not laughing, Ms. Swan.]

[You’re not supposed to be laughing, I’m trying to tell a story! So, I try to pass them so I can hurry to the hardware store and finally buy my zip-ties, and as I’m going by one of the miners says “A coal miner walks into a bar, and the bartender says to him we don’t serve your kind here”. And the coal miner say’s “why?” And do you want to know what the guy said?]

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes but typed out the response anyway. [The bartender said “because you’re a minor.”]

[The bartender? What are you talking about, this isn’t a joke, I’m just trying to tell a story! The guy I was walking behind said “because you owe me money Leroy and you’re not going to the bar until you pay up”.]

[Why on earth did you just waste my time with this, Ms. Swan?]

[Because you’re smiling now, aren’t you? :)] 

Regina wished she could deny the claim but she knew a bashful smile stretched across her lips unbidden at the silliness of the blonde. _This woman._ She was about to type when the very distinct, and familiar, sound of footsteps accompanied by the gentle thump of a cane met her ears. In the span of a heartbeat Regina had wiped the smile from her face and set her phone face down on the desk. _If there was ever someone not to show weakness to._ She forced her eyes on the papers in front of her so that she wasn’t appearing like she was waiting for him. 

“Mayor Mills.” At his deceptively soft voice Regina looked up and gave him her best political smile. She didn’t truly know why they played this game when they both knew how they felt about the other. 

“Mr. Gold. Always a pleasure. What can I help you with?” She took in his suit and collar length hair with some trepidation. He was standing, as he always did, with both hands on his cane in front of him.

As far as Regina knew, and she made a point of knowing everything, Gold had nothing to complain about in regards to his Pawn shop or as his position as head of the Small Business Council. _It’s got to be Town Council then._

“I’ve just heard the terrible news about our unfortunate plumbing situation in town.” He tried to make his face seem sympathetic but couldn’t quite pull it off.

_Just heard, my ass. I’ll bet you knew one second after I did._

“It is unfortunate yes, but as we all know, our town is old and these things do happen.”

“So it would seem.” He appraised her openly and Regina didn’t give him the satisfaction of squirming under his look. “I was just naturally concerned, and curious, about what your plan for the cost is going to be.” She watched a tic in his cheek as he clenched his jaw.

“Well, firstly I feel it’s important to show support for the town by temporarily suspending the salary allotted to Town Council.” She gave a smile as fake as she could manage. “Including my own, of course. I feel it’s only fair and as the most affluent in town we can make this sacrifice. For the good of Storybrooke.”

He smiled thinly but Regina saw the glint in his eye. _That isn’t good. What does that imp know?_

“I figured you would say as much, Regina.” _Why are people being overly familiar with me today?_ “So I took the liberty of crunching the numbers and found that action alone won’t be enough. I also took the liberty of calling for an emergency Town Council meeting for tomorrow morning. If you don’t have a plan in place I’m sure we can come up with the best solution.” 

_So you can tell them all that I failed? I don’t think so._ Regina made a snap decision and prayed that she could pull it off. “That’s won’t be necessary, Mr. Gold.” She stressed his name. “I’ve decided to pull the funding for the high school and elementary school talent shows and Fall Dances. I have great faith in the community that we can fundraise and pull together the money to put on four amazing events without the funds from the town.” She watched his hands tighten on his cane with some satisfaction. 

“Very good, Mayor Mills.” His voice was bitter and he didn’t bother to hide it. He turned to leave and Regina smirked as she threw out a parting shot. 

“You know, above and beyond volunteer work with this project might help Principal Knight and myself see that Peter knows the meaning of respect and community.” She smiled wider when the half-grin dropped from Gold’s face. 

“I’ll be sure to let him know.” He was fully scowling now and Regina felt great satisfaction at winning a round against the imp. When he was gone and her office felt secure once again Regina practically dove for her phone; she had four messages from Emma.

[Okay now I’m picturing you rolling on the floor you’re laughing so hard but, c’mon Regina, it really wasn’t that funny.]

[I mean it was pretty funny. And maybe a little cute? I hope you thought it was.]

[Not that making you think I’m cute was my intention with this little story telling.]

[Okay now I’m definitely just bothering you while you’re trying to work. I’m sorry.]

Regina cursed Mr. Gold again and typed semi-manically. [It was funny Emma, I’m sorry I was interrupted by an imp in my office. Honestly…it was the first thing to really make me smile today. I do have a question to ask you though.]

[Hit me.]

The reply came in instantly and Regina tried not to picture a sad looking blonde staring at her phone thinking she’d bothered her. 

[Do you happen to remember telling me that you would do anything needed to help Spencer’s school?] The second she sent it she sent another without stopping to think about the consequences. 

[And I do happen to think you were being cute.]

**

Emma was glad she could outwardly control her emotions because otherwise she’d be walking down Maine Street with a ridiculously goofy grin. _She thought I was being cute!_ Emma had been checking out the shops in Storybrooke because she and Spencer were going to have to go shopping eventually and it seemed foolish to drive to Portland without ever having checked out Maine Street in their own town.

Turns out she really needn’t have bothered. Most of the shops had styles that were too old, _or a little fuddy-duddy_ , or just definitely not what they would wear. She did manage to pick up some more plaid flannel button ups but it was at the hunting/lumberjack store and Emma didn’t think she could pull off such a miracle twice. 

It wasn’t like she was on a constant look-out for Regina but she had caught the Mayor’s Benz from the corner of her eye and seen her pull into Town Hall. _She works too much._ Emma felt for the older brunette just like she felt for the younger one. They both must be so stressed and tense and the blonde wished she could do more for them. She had pulled out her phone with really only the hope of making the woman smile.

_And it worked. And she thought I was cute!_

Emma began heading back for Monroe street but a tingle down the back of her neck put her on alert; she carefully, though subtly, assessed the street for what had caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes at the teenager, or possibly young adult, walking half a block in front of her. She watched him again glance behind him and to the side before putting his head down and continuing his pace. 

_Only two kinds of people check their surroundings like that. Cautious people like Spencer and I and people into trouble. And I don’t think he’s like us._

Emma couldn’t see him clearly from behind him but she noted his baggy jeans, hoody and the backpack slung over one shoulder. His hair was naturally brown but had been dyed blonde semi-recently and only the roots had grown back in. Emma watched him from the corner of her eye as he turned down a side-road and disappeared. The blonde noticed belatedly that she was walking passed the library.

Emma turned the same corner and just caught a glimpse of his backpack disappearing between two brick walls; Emma wasn’t sure she’d have noticed the tiny alley if she hadn’t seen him go down it. She kept her pace calm and easy but flicked her eyes down the alley as she passed it.

Two kids were in the alley now and she took in the scene easily even at a glance. The kid she had been following shook hands with another teenager and Emma rolled her eyes. The motion was so forced and unnatural it would have been less obvious if the kid had just reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag to hand over. _Knew it._

The blonde considered her options because she didn’t want to make a scene; especially not standing right where she was. She leaned her back against the brick wall, one foot up, and pulled out her phone to look a little less suspicious. She could _just_ make out the whispered conversation happening down the alley and her teeth clenched. _Apparently even small town Maine isn’t immune to drugs._

Emma didn’t lift her eyes from her phone when the kid with the backpack walked back out the alley and in front of her. He didn’t pay her attention at all and she moved the second he had taken one step passed her. Her hand flashed out like lightning and grabbed the strap of his dangling backpack and yanked it from his shoulder. He reacted far too late and by the time he whirled around Emma already had the bag and dropped it behind her. 

“What the fuck!” He took a step forward but Emma was now standing between him and the bag. She took careful note of his face now; she thought he might be a little older than Ashley and Spencer and though his words were angry his eyes were scared. 

“You’ve got two options.” Emma’s voice was calm and easy though her muscles were tensed and she stood at the ready. “You can turn around and run away right now and we likely won’t be able to prove whatever in this bag is yours. Or, you can try to take it from me.” He didn’t even consider his options for a second. He turned and ran.

Emma glared down at the backpack she was now in possession of. “Jesus Christ.” It was a little worn and it had a dark green camo pattern that was more than a little dirty. She picked it up by the handle and jogged back for Maine Street. 

_Does Regina know about this? Christ, does Graham know about this?_ Emma couldn’t imagine Regina knowing about someone selling drugs in her town and doing nothing about it. _So why hasn’t something been done about it? The kid was a punk, not a gang member._

Emma pushed open the doors to a building she hadn’t been inside of in her time in Storybrooke yet; she hadn’t really ever had the intention to do so.

She turned the corner into the main, and really only, room in the police station and found Sheriff Graham with his feet up and shooting a paper ball into the garbage can across the room. “Nice shot.” Emma’s voice was dry and he turned with a start. 

He gave that boyish grin. “I never miss.”

“Sounds thrilling. How about you try doing some police work though?” She tossed the backpack onto his desk where it landed with a thump. 

“What’s this?” He opened the backpack’s main section and peered in. His eyebrows shot upwards and he tipped the bag upside down. Various junk and food wrappers fell out; so did two different bags full of drugs. 

One Ziploc bag was full of weed in already sized out smaller baggies. The other had a collection of various different coloured pills. 

Graham turned around and eyed her suspiciously. “You come into the police station and drop a bag of drugs on my desk?”

“Apparently it’s the only way drugs end up in the police station.” Emma snarked. She watched Graham poke around in the bag and finally offer her a small smile. She noticed it was tight and forced.

“You got this off Spunk.”

Emma arched an eyebrow. “20 year old, about this height, bad blonde dye-job?”

“That’s him. Calvin Spunketti. Your basic low-life, small town dealer.”

“I gathered that for myself, thanks. Why is he still dealing drugs in this town?”

Graham stood up straighter. “I don’t have to explain myself or police procedure to you.”

“No.” Emma didn’t back down. “But you’ll probably have to explain it to Regina when I complain about there being a drug problem in the town my teenage sister lives in.” 

Graham’s eyes narrowed. _That threat actually scared him._ “I can’t just walk into his apartment and arrest him for dealing drugs.”

“So you do actually know police procedure?” Emma sassed. She was still annoyed by him running her name through the system without provocation. “Good job. But you _can_ watch him due to suspicious behaviour and when you witness him dolling out drugs to teenagers you can search and arrest him on sight. Shouldn’t take long. I figured out he was dealing drugs in about a minute.”

Graham’s hands clenched reflexively and then he made himself calm down. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but why don’t we try and start over? Why don’t you tell me how you got the bag from Spunk?”

“He abandoned it in fear. When I saw the drugs in it I knew I had to do my civic duty and bring it to the police station.” Her smile was just as fake as his previous one. 

“And it didn’t occur to you to perform a citizen’s arrest?”

_So you just want me to do your entire job for you, huh?_

“As I’m sure you know citizen’s arrest can only be performed if you have probable cause for a Class, A, B, or C crime. For a Class D or E the crime has to be committed right in your presence to 100% assuredness.” Emma shrugged when Graham scowled. _He did know that, he just hoped that I didn’t._ “I’m sure you wouldn’t want a shoddy and illegal citizen’s arrest bungling up your arrest of Spunk.”

“No. We wouldn’t want that.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded towards the bags. “I’ll take care of this. And Spunk.”

“You do that.” Emma gave another forced polite smile and turned her back on him.

_Jesus, maybe I should be Sheriff._

**

For the second time that day Ashley leaned up against her Porsche and waited for Emma. She knew instinctively that Emma wouldn’t change her routine and that if she wasn’t already standing here Emma would start her run and she’d be forced to catch up. 

_You can do this Davies._ She ignored the slight tremble in her hands. _Just get her to trust you enough so you can see Spencer._

Emma appeared from down the path and Ashley watched her from out of the corner of her eye behind her sunglasses. It wasn’t even sunny this deep in the woods but for some reason she felt like Emma saw too much of her already.

When the blonde pulled up beside her and started her stretches Ashley automatically moved beside her to copy the movements. Everything about Emma seemed routine. She moved in the same way each time and Ashley wondered how much control that took. _More than you have._

Ashley was content to follow and when Emma finally started to jog the brunette fell into place beside her. She struggled a little to match her stride to the slightly taller Emma but they found a pace that worked for their rhythm within fifty steps. _She’s not going to talk. You know she isn’t. Man up, Davies._

“I’m sorry.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

_I wish._ “I have like everything to be sorry for.”

“You apologized for your behaviour already, kiddo. And I forgave you.”

“Well. I’m sorry for getting mad on our run this morning then.” 

“I never expected this to not be emotional, Ashley.” 

Ashley fell silent and tried to match her breathing to Emma’s. _What the hell? She’s breathing like she’s relaxing on the couch and not running through the woods._

“My parents are a sore spot for me.” Ashley admitted. 

“I’d be amazed if they weren’t. Why are you angry?”

_Why aren’t I fucking angry?_ Ashley scoffed. “I’m angry at my parents. At Regina. At the whole fucking town.” She hesitated. “At Spencer. At you.”

“That’s a lot of anger to hold onto.”

Ashley balled her hands into fists. 

“Focus on your form.” Emma’s words broke the silence. “Watch your stride and your upper body. Good, better.” They ran in silence for another couple of minutes. 

“I don’t want to always be so angry.” Ashley’s words were soft and if they hadn’t been running through a silent forest she doubted Emma would have heard them. 

“Then let it go.”

_You make it sound fucking easy._ “How?”

“Start at the beginning. Why are you mad at your parents?”

_No. Don’t go there._ “This is stupid.” Ashley knew instantly it was the wrong thing to say. Emma effortlessly increased their speed and Ashley had to step it up to keep pace. She noticed with some aggravation that her breathing had never altered even for a second. “I’m mad at you and Spencer because everything seemed fucking fine before you two showed up and changed everything.”

“Did everything _seem_ fine or _was_ it fine?”

“Don’t use my words against me.”

“Then don’t say them.”

Ashley scowled. “Sure thing, Master Yoda.” She thought she saw Emma smirk. 

“Better insult to give, you must have.” 

The brunette actually grinned now. “If you’re Yoda does that make me Luke?” Her smile dropped slightly. “Or Anakin?”

Emma sighed. “You’re not bad, Ashley. You’ve made mistakes. And what did I say about mistakes?”

“That you’re not the sum of them.” Ashley parroted with an eye roll.

“Right. So now answer the question.”

Ashley blinked the sweat from out of her eye and she pushed her sunglasses back up. “It seemed fine, I guess. I didn’t want to change.”

“And do you now?”

“Would I be out here running with you getting five dollar therapy if I didn’t?” Ashley snapped. _Shit._ “I didn’t meant that. I do want to change. I…I hurt somebody, Emma.”

“I know, kiddo. If it helps, I’ve seen Aiden.”

Ashley scowled. “Spencer brought him over to your house now?” 

When Emma increased their pace again Ashley knew she’d said the wrong thing. She could feel the burn starting in her thighs and sweat was dripping down her back. “What?”

“You mean did I meet Aiden while he was in my kitchen getting ice for the nasty bruise on his back? Yes I did.”

_Fuck me._ “I’m sorry okay? And I’d say sorry to Aiden but he won’t take my fucking calls.”

“He has a right not to take your calls.” The blonde arched an eyebrow. “And while you have to respect that right it doesn’t mean you have to entirely give up.”

“How do I apologize if he won’t take my calls?”

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. Write him a letter.”

“A letter? Are you joking?”

“No. I thought you were good at writing things down.”

Ashley scoffed. “Song lyrics, maybe.”

“Then write him a song. How do you feel right now?”

Instantly the sound of her feet against the dirt path became a steady drum beat keeping time. Her inhales and exhales flowed in a pattern and created a tune. 

_“You tell me mistakes_   
_Are part of being young_   
_But that don't right_   
_The wrong that's been done”_

“What would you say to him?” Emma’s voice was soft like she was speaking from far away.

_“And if I could do it all over again_   
_I'll never treat you that way_   
_I apologize for the pain that I caused_  
 _And I just wanna say_  
 _I’m sorry,_  
 _So sorry,_  
 _Hold me now_  
 _It’s hard for me to say_  
 _But I just want you to stay”_

Ashley blinked like she was coming out of a fog. “Your breathing settled.” Emma noted lightly. “Whatever you were just thinking, that’s what you should say to him.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“I’m sorry mine and Spencer’s appearance in your life made things difficult for you.” Emma apologized so easily and it made Ashley feel worse.

“No. You didn’t. It was crap before. I just couldn’t see it.” 

“And now you do?”

_Well, I can’t think of the last time I spoke to my parents and found out they never wanted me at all, the girl I like is scared to be around me because I’m violent, the first person to ever really see me has now seen me hit rock bottom, my best friend is rightfully pissed at me, I’m pissed at my other best friend, and I saw the Evil Queen cry._

“Yeah. I can see it now.”

“You know it won’t be easy, right, kiddo? Holding anger inside is just going to make you want to drink.”

Ashley’s jaw clenched. “I’m not mad at you and Spencer, not really.”

“I know, kiddo.”

“Emma?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I be at the cooking lesson tonight?”

_Please trust me, Emma. Please._

**

Spencer awkwardly juggled the two bags of groceries in her hands as she tried to reach up for the knocker on the mansion door. She was resting the weight of one bag on her hip and trying to balance when the door opened without her even touching it. 

_Oh. So no build up, we’re just doing this now._

The blonde watched Ashley swallow thickly and fail to meet her eyes for more than a second. Spencer took in the bags under her eyes and the shake in her hands and her stomach twisted. _Oh honey._

“Hey, Ash.”

“Spencer.” Ashley’s voice was a croak and Spencer almost flinched at how sore the normally raspy, musical voice sounded. _Have you given yourself a break at all, Ash?_ Ashley suddenly jolted into movement. “Jesus, sorry. Here.” Ashley reached for one of the grocery bags and Spencer let her have it easily. 

“Are you joining the cooking lesson tonight, Ash?” Spencer asked easily as she followed the brunette into the mansion. “I’m not sure if you told me if you could cook.”

“I mean, I’m not useless in the kitchen.” Ashley mumbled. “I was planning on being here though…if, you know…that’s cool with you.”

Spencer hated to see how uncomfortable and guilty Ashley seemed. She set her bag of groceries down and gently reached out to touch Ashley’s arm; the brunette gasped. “Of course it’s okay, Ashley.”

“I’m so sorry Spencer.” Ashley’s voice was broken.

“It’s okay, Ash. I forgive you.”

Ashley exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes. “Forgiven but not forgotten, right? I’ve heard that somewhere else recently.”

“I learned from the best.” Spencer practically whispered back. Ashley finally met her eyes directly. Spencer noticed that her expressive brown eyes were red-rimmed and her jaw was clenched tight. She stepped forward completely without thought and wrapped her arms around Ashley’s neck. She felt tears on her skin as Ashley tucked her face into her neck; arms came around her waist and hands were fisted into the material at the back of her shirt. “It’s okay, Ashley. You’ll be okay. I believe in you, okay? You’ll be okay.” 

Ashley cried harder and Spencer let her fingers stroke soothingly through brunette curls. Spencer adjusted her stance as Ashley leaned more of her weight onto her. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

Spencer shushed her gently. “You’ll be okay, honey.” She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand and she lifted her eyes to see they were no longer alone in the room. Regina watched them for one second before nodding gently and retreating to the kitchen. “You’re okay.”

It was only a minute later that Ashley forced herself to stand and Spencer could see the effort to stop crying etched in every line on her face. “I’m sorry.” The brunette bit her lip none to gently to stop it from quivering. 

“Stop. It’s okay.” Spencer reached up again and pushed Ashley’s hair behind her ears and then stroked the tears from her cheeks; Ashley closed her eyes and practically basked in the touch. “I said I would be here for you and I meant it okay? If you want my help, I’ll help you. It’s just, going to be different now.”

“Because Emma doesn’t trust me.” Ashley almost whimpered; Spencer could see the guilt easily. 

_Emma and I have good reason not to trust drunks._ Spencer knew she couldn’t say that, though. “One time Emma was away for work for a night and I had people over.” Ashley quirked an eyebrow at the non-sequitur but Spencer just smiled lightly. “Two friends, which is like the most I’d ever had. We didn’t even do anything bad. We just watched a scary movie and ate ice cream. If I had asked Emma beforehand she totally would have allowed it.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“Nope. I wanted to seem cool or something, not having to ask. Anyway, Emma found out.”

“How?”

Spencer rolled her eyes. “Three unwashed bowls of ice cream in the sink. We weren’t very sneaky and Emma’s a freaking bounty hunter.”

“She was mad?”

“More disappointed I think.”

“So what happened?”

“Nothing. Except after that she fact checked everything I told her. I had lied to her, so she didn’t trust me not to lie to her again. A month later she only fact checked half the things I told her, and a month after that she went back to trusting my word. She’s never doubted it since.”

“So what grand gesture made her know you were sorry and weren’t going to lie to her again?”

“No grand gesture.” She stroked Ashley’s cheek gently again. “Just time.” She finally reached down for the grocery bags they’d set down. “Why don’t you go upstairs and relax for a bit,” Spencer didn’t want to tell her that her face looked blotchy and red but she was sure the brunette knew, “and then come back down to help with the cooking lesson?”

“Sure, Spence.” Ashley gave her a fleeting smile before she turned away and Spencer headed for the kitchen. 

“Good evening, Madam Mayor.” She smiled at Regina who gave her a grateful nod.

“Please, just Regina. Everything okay?” Spencer didn’t think that the woman was just prying because she could hear the genuine concern. 

“You know, I think it’ll be okay.” The blonde flashed a smile. “So, what are we cooking?” 

The older brunette flashed her a smile. “Well, I figure we start with basics so you don’t starve.”

“Boiling an egg?”

Regina blinked. “Put a pot of water on the stove, turn it to high until it boils, turn it down to low, drop an egg in for 3 minutes for a soft boil, 10 for hard. Next lesson. Potatoes.”

Spencer laughed but joined her at the counter. “Potatoes are one of the most common and versatile vegetables.”

“So we can make French Fries?”

“Something tells me you get enough fries, dear. Today, we’re roasting them. So these potatoes need peeling first.” She pulled a bag from the cupboard and set them down in front of Spencer. “You use different kinds of potatoes for different cooking methods. These are Yukon Golds, they’re the best for roasting.”

“Potatoes from the Yukon best for roasting, got it. Where’s the knife and I’ll peel these?”

Regina got that look on her face she got when she was trying not to laugh at her. “The _peeler_ is in the drawer to your left, second one down. Move the peeler in the direction away from yourself.”

Spencer thought she was doing fabulously until Regina picked up a knife and a potato and peeled it with a fluid and yet still rapid motion; the peel was one long, unbroken strand. “Damn. I thought you said I couldn’t use a knife?”

“You can’t. I don’t think Ms. Swan would appreciate you losing a finger. Now,” Regina explained everything clearly but Spencer didn’t feel like a fool either. _If this woman knew my only prior experience in the kitchen was scrounging in the cupboards for dry ready to eat foods in the middle of the night she’d probably lose it._

They had moved on to seasoning a pork tenderloin when Ashley returned to the kitchen. She was wearing baggy sweat pants that trailed on the ground and a big sweatshirt she was practically swimming in. Spencer almost cooed at how adorable and soft the rock princess looked. "I think I like this look best.” She whispered to make Ashley blush. From the slight smirk on Regina’s face she’d caught the words too. 

“Ashley, do you want to help? You can start preparing a salad.”

The younger brunette hesitated but she eventually nodded. “Sure, Regina.” She washed her hands and Spencer noticed instantly that, though there was tension between the two brunettes, they moved easily and fluidly in the kitchen together. _Not useless my ass, she knows this kitchen._

“So Spencer.” Regina smiled. _Does she look embarrassed?_ “Ms. Swan could have attended these cooking lessons too, if she wished.” _Oh my god Madam Mayor likes my sister back._ Spencer tried to keep the glee from her face but if Ashley cracking up into the salad bowl was any indication she had failed. 

“It’s home cooked food, I’m sure she’ll come to most of them. But she had to work tonight.” 

“I see.” Spencer was puzzled when she saw the concern across Regina’s face. “Has your sister ever been, well, injured while doing her work?”

The blonde knew better than to lie. “Once or twice. A bunch of fist fights but I’ve never seen someone able to beat Emma in a fair fight.” _At least since she was 12._ “She almost got ran over this one time, but she dove out of the way. I think the scariest thing she ever had to tell me about was this guy who was in the backseat handcuffed and he managed to get his legs up and tried to choke her with her seatbelt.” A spoon clanged in the sink and both teenagers looked up to see Regina looking a little shell-shocked. “But! That was ages ago.” Spencer backpedaled. “She knows now to put them on the other side of the car and handcuffs their hands to the seatbelt at their waist. She zip-ties their feet together too.” For reasons Spencer couldn’t understand at all the mention of zip-ties brought a wide smile to Regina’s lips before she ducked her head to hide it. 

_That’s it. They have so got to go on a date. Mission get SwanMills together is officially a go._ She glanced up and caught Ashley’s eye. She was giving her a shy smile.

_Maybe SwanDavies too._


	8. Running out of Excuses

“So. Real talk.”

Emma arched an eyebrow in surprise and Spencer smiled an evil grin; she would never admit to trying to mimic Ashley’s devilish smirk with the look. 

“Real talk about what?” 

Spencer knew she only had a few minutes before Emma left for her run and that was why she’d intentionally finished her own calisthenics early so she could catch her. Emma would, Spencer knew, halt anything in her own plans if Spencer really asked it of her; but this wasn’t that kind of emergency. 

It was a different kind of sister talk.

“So. You and Regina.” She caught her sisters arched eyebrow before the elder blonde could hide it. “Yes! You totally have a thing for Regina.” 

“Spencer,”

“Oh, please. Don’t try to deny it. I have a whole list of reason why it’s obvious and totally apparent. Number one, you shy smile at her. Number two, you goofy smile at her. Number three, you look at her with that intense “I would do anything for you” stare that normally only I get. Number four,”

“Okay. I like her.”

Spencer’s jaw dropped. _Well that was easy…too easy._ “Why do I sense a trap?”

“Because I taught you well.” Emma laughed as she filled up her water bottle. “What’s not to like? She’s smart and successful, and kind but totally badass. She cares about her kid and her niece and takes care of them even when things are tough.” Emma blushed a little and Spencer was surprised to see it. _Jesus when was the last time Emma blushed?_ “She’s insanely beautiful.”

“Damn, sis. You got it bad. So how you gonna ask her out?” Spencer was already planning it out. _She’s a classy lady so maybe with flowers?_

“I’m not asking her out.” Emma closed the fridge with a snap. “How was the dinner last night by the way, you didn’t even tell me.”

“Don’t change the subject.” Spencer pointed an accusing finger even though she actually really wanted to gush about the cooking lesson and the night to her sister. “Why won’t you ask the mayor out?”

“Okay sit.” Emma pointed to the breakfast stools and Spencer sat with some trepidation. “It’s complicated. And here’s why.” Emma started ticking off reasons on her fingers. “Ashley is clearly having problems right now that both you and I are heavily involved in and it would make things even more convoluted. I don’t want to stress Regina more than she already is. Second, Regina doesn’t seem like the fun and then move on kind of person to me, and you and I,” she gestured between them, “don’t stick around for very long. And thirdly,” Emma sighed now and Spencer was shocked to see the sadness displayed in green eyes, “I am lying to her, Spence. We are lying to them both. We are lying to every single person in this town every day.”

Spencer’s face fell. “I know that…”

“And I think Regina deserves better than being lied to. About everything.”

Some of the younger blonde’s excitement seemed to die. “So…you’re saying…with me and Ashley…”

“No.” Emma’s voice was vehement. “I’m the adult here, and the lies we tell are my lies and my fault. Not yours.”

_She cannot take this all on her shoulders. She’s been carrying my burdens since I was born._ “No.”

“No?”

“No. They are our lies and our life. And I understand not wanting to lie to Regina’s face if she becomes something and becomes important. Just like I can’t imagine lying to Ashley if she becomes something more. If they do, we tell them the truth.”

Emma’s face hardened. “No. We made a deal, kid.”

“We made a deal ten years ago, Ems. And if I had known then what I know now I would have added a point in that deal that says serious significant others we care about are allowed to hear the truth.”

Spencer knew only great respect for her kept Emma from simply ordering Spencer “no” and leaving. “Spencer. We cannot tell anyone the truth. Not even them. You know how dangerous that would be.”

“I’m not saying I’m going to run out and tell her today. But…sometime. In the future. When I have her complete trust. When I can no longer bare lying,” Spencer showed the resolve in her face, “I’ll tell her.” Emma opened her mouth and Spencer spoke over her. “Just like you could tell Regina the truth!” 

“Spencer.” Emma sighed. “Table this?” The younger blonde deflated. It was their way of saying there wasn’t going to be an agreement and they didn’t want to argue anymore.

“Tabled.” 

Emma didn’t seem to know what to do with Spencer’s dejected expression. “I’m sorry kid. I know you just want me to be happy.”

“I do. And I think you could be happy with her. She’s even tougher than you.” Spencer noticed that Emma was absentmindedly stroking the skin of her left inner forearm where her book was tattooed. _Are you worried about breaking, Emma? Or being broken?_

“You’re right about that.” Emma sighed. “Its just too complicated, Spence. I’m going to go for my run now.”

“Okay.” Spencer heard her sister hesitate even with her back turned as she got the cereal down from the cupboard. 

“You know I’m just looking out for us right?”

_I know. You’ve only been looking out for us for longer than I can remember._ “I know.” _But I can look out for you too._ Spencer pulled out her phone and sent a quick text message. 

[We’ve hit a snag with Mission SwanMills. Emma’s being stubborn. Maybe you can try to get through to her?]

The reply was nearly instantaneous.

[I’m leaving the mansion now to meet up for our run. I’ll see what I can do. I got Henry on board which is super important for Regina, trust me.]

[I do.] Spencer could practically see the shy, blushing smile that would be crossing Ashley’s features. 

[Good. Also, Henry insists that a better code name was needed. So, now it’s Operation SwanQueen.]

**

Ashley tapped her fingers against the hood of her Porsche while she waited for the blonde to arrive. Soon the tapping wasn’t aimless and became a simple beat; Ashley couldn’t do anything without soon hearing music. 

_“Go ahead and call me a coward_   
_And say that I'm not strong, because I'm not like you_   
_Go ahead and call me crazy_   
_Cause I live in the wrong, tell me how about you?”_

Spencer texting her this morning had been the highlight of an otherwise hazy and irritable morning. She’d woken up with her hands already shaking and her stomach muscles contracting. _Withdrawing like some fucking crack addict. Unbelievable._ She was happy to tell Spencer she’d try to work on Operation SwanQueen during this run but she doubted that Emma would miss how shitty she felt this morning. 

_“I think I live in my head_   
_Sometimes I think that I'm dead, I hide behind my youth and my smile_   
_Know I been losing my mind_   
_And I'm a little behind, step inside my shoes and walk for a mile”_

She didn’t want to admit to Emma that she’d woken up _still_ reaching under the mattress for her bottle of Jack Daniels. _This is so stupid._ She didn’t _want_ to drink; drinking got her banned from hanging out with Spencer and ruined her friendship with Aiden. Drinking was going to be the reason she lost a semester, didn’t graduate, and ended up in rehab. So she didn’t _want_ to drink. But the shaking in her hands said she _needed_ one. 

_“Cause I've never been happy with myself_   
_And I don't need no one feeling bad for me_   
_Trying to offer me pity and throw jabs at me_   
_Wanna give me advice and then laugh at me”_

Ashley moved her wrists higher and let her fingers dangle like she was resting at the piano; or a keyboard. She used her nails and clicked a riff but in her mind she could hear the instrument perfectly. 

_“I'm tired of trying, I cry_   
_I hear it's easy to die, I wanna see for myself_   
_And I know that sounds crazy to everyone else_   
_But I'm depressed as fuck, stressed as fuck_   
_Ain't no medicine that could cure me or fix my luck”_

“You alright, kiddo?”

Ashley’s heart nearly burst from her chest and she whirled around, almost slipped off the hood of the car and her slightly trembling hands were now fully shaking. “Jesus fuck!”

Emma’s hands were raised, open and facing outward, though she was clearly startled too. “Sorry, Ash. You were looking right at me, I figured you knew I was here.”

“Yeah, no. Fine. In my own world I guess. Got lost for a second.”

Emma eyed her up and down and Ashley jumped to attention to begin stretching to avoid Emma’s gaze. Ashley wondered if Emma would comment on the weirdness but the blonde let them stretch in silence.

When they finally started to jog Ashley knew her breathing was off but she was too keyed up to fix it. When she noticed Emma glance over at her she jumped into conversation to stall her. “So! You and my aunt, huh?” She waggled her eyebrows.

Emma shook her head as she chuckled. “I see you’ve been talking to Spencer this morning.”

“Yup. We think it’s a great idea you know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I mean, I can’t totally account for your taste but you clearly like that bossy thing. And a happier Regina can’t be bad for me.” Ashley flashed one of her charming smirks but the way Emma was staring at her made her think the blonde could see through it. 

_Okay and maybe Regina hasn’t dated anyone as long as I’ve known her and she could use some happiness too._

“Well, like I told Spencer, it’s complicated. Too complicated.” 

Ashley stumbled a step when Emma suddenly kicked up their pace and she needed a moment to find her stride. “What’s so complicated about it? Life is shit and crazy. You take the good where you can get it.”

Emma’s look was sharp. _Did I say something stupid or something profound?_

“But some things that are good are only fleeting.”

“Then you at least still had some good.” _What’s that thing Madison always does when she’s arguing with someone?_ “But whatever, obviously you don’t like Regina like I like Spencer.”

Emma actually laughed. “You trying to play me, kiddo?”

Ashley beamed. “Would I do that?”

“I’m thinking so.” The blonde sighed. “Look, I think it’s commendable that you and Spence want us to be happy. It’s just- Ash are you okay?”

“What do you mean?” _Fuck._

“Slow down, get your breathing under control.” 

“I’m fine.” Ashley snapped. “Can we just run?” She kept the same fast pace and figured Emma could either watch her run away or keep pace with her. Typically, she stayed right beside her, and she did it with an easy stride and slow, relaxed breathing that made Ashley angry. “I’m having a rough morning, okay?”

“I’m not surprised. How you feeling?”

_Like utter shit, okay?_ “Fine, mostly. Head hurts a little. Stomach a little off.”

“What’s your plan?” 

“What?”

“Your plan for quitting drinking?” Ashley merely blinked. “Cold turkey, iron will style, huh? Ambitious.”

“It’s fine. I just won’t drink anything. Seems pretty simple to me.” _Except I could honestly use a drink right now._

“Getting rid of an addiction is hard, kiddo,”

Ashley cut her off with a near snarl. “I’m not stupid you know.”

“I don’t believe I ever said that.” She hesitated for a long time and Ashley actually eyed the blonde because she’d never seen her hesitate. “My, our…mine and Spence’s father was an alcoholic. He drank my entire childhood it seemed like. I watched him quit and start up again fifty times.”

“I’m not some drunk.” _Oh god, tell me I’m not my father._

“Neither was he. People picture _some drunk_ as a guy laying out on a park bench in the middle of winter. But it isn’t like that. Our,” she cleared her throat somewhat stiffly, “father…he was actually an agent with Child Protective Services.”

_Woah what the fuck?_ “So the guy checking up on other people’s houses was an alcoholic?”

“Yes. That’s all I was trying to say. That’s it hard for anybody to quit things and have it stick. Some plans are simple. Working out helps. Having stress relievers help. Get a stress ball or elastics, stuff like that. But sometimes it takes more.”

“I hear you.” Ashley almost panted. She finally slowed her pace down and Emma matched her without a word. 

“Good. Just think about it. Say, how was the cooking lesson yesterday?”

Ashley didn’t ask how Emma knew she’d been there because she was well aware the Swan sisters told each other everything. “It was good.” _God Spence looked so fucking cute learning new things. She was genuinely happy to be cooking with Regina. And maybe with me?_ “It wasn’t terrible spending the evening with Regina anyway.”

“You ready to tell me why you’re mad at her?”

“You ready to tell me the real reason you’re too chicken to ask her out?” 

Once again their run was finished in silence.

**

Regina was happy that she and Ashley were on speaking terms because she was able to get the brunette to agree to drive Henry to school when she drove herself so that Regina could make her meeting with Kathryn. 

She blazed into the high school and walked straight into Kathryn’s office without stopping to talk to the secretary. The blonde was used to this and closed the file folder she had been reading with a smile. 

“I’m glad you made an appointment, Madam Mayor.” She got up from her desk to close her office door. “Are we here to talk about Ashley, Regina?”

“Actually, no. I’m here to talk business.”

Kathryn arched an eyebrow and sat down carefully. “Oh?”

Regina kept her mayoral mask firmly in place which she didn’t usually do for her friend. “As you are aware, there has been a Town Council meeting called for 9am.”

“Yes, I got the e-mail.” Kathryn spoke slowly. “I’m assuming you didn’t call it because you know I don’t like leaving the school during school hours.”

“I didn’t, Mr. Gold called for the meeting.” _Trying to catch me off guard._ “I wanted to discuss with you prior to the meeting so you would be informed of the situation.”

“Regina, cut the crap. I know the town needs money.” Her eyes narrowed. “So it’s going to affect my school?”

“Both schools.” Regina admitted. “I’ve had to pull the funding for both talent shows and both school dances.” The brunette said the words quickly like they wouldn’t still hurt that way. 

“Regina,” Kathryn moaned.

“I know, Kathryn. I’m sorry.” A little of Regina’s genuine feelings leaked through her mask. “But I had to make this decision fairly. I promise, I will do everything in my power to raise the money so all four events can still be put on for the kids.”

“I realize it’s not your fault, Regina.” Kathryn understood how politics worked so Regina believed that her friend wasn’t angry with her. “It just sucks. You couldn’t have taken it from the Miner’s festival instead?” She tried grasping at straws weakly. 

“I took the money from the festival last time. I couldn’t do the same again. I have faith in this community, Kathryn, we’ll raise the money.”

“I know.” Kathryn took a moment and put her own professional mask back on. “I’m glad you warned me in advance about your decision, Regina.”

“I didn’t want you blindsided.” _Like I was._ “Gold was hoping to catch me without a plan.”

“I’m sure he was.” Kathryn pulled a spare piece of paper in front of her and grabbed a pen. She jotted down the planned dates for the events at the bottom. “God, we’ll have to make a schedule and start planning fundraising events now. What are we thinking, bake sales, car washes?” 

“Yes.” Regina hesitated. “But we’ll have to come up with something spectacular.”

“I know.” She looked up hopefully. “Any ideas?”

“I’m working on it.” _God I hope I come up with something. I can’t let both schools down. God Henry loves the talent shows so much._

“While you’re already here,” Kathryn started carefully, “how _is_ Ashley?”

The brunette considered her words carefully. “She’s…okay. I suppose. She’s,” _withdrawing, irritable, sad, angry,_ “struggling, a little. Like you said, it’s not an instantaneous process from alcoholic to sober. Or from delinquent to student.”

“Have you spent much time with her?”

“Actually, more lately than we have in a year. Spe- Miss Swan came over to the mansion for a cooking lesson and Ashley decided to join us.”

Kathryn moved her head around in a circle like her mind had just been blown. “ _Miss_ Swan came over to the mansion. Not _Ms_. Swan? Oh Regina. You’re devious.”

“What? How dare-”

“Oh please.” Kathryn laughed, clearly not worried about Regina’s possible ire. “You’re a single mom, so you know exactly how to date a single mom. You gotta get in good with their kid first. Oh this is perfect.”

“I’ll have you know I am _not_ giving Miss Swan cooking lessons to _get in good_ with Ms. Swan. Ms. Swan is helping Ashley so I decided to help Spencer in return. That’s it.” _That and I think I’d help either blonde with anything._

“Why is Emma helping Ashley?”

_What is that supposed to mean?_ “I would assume because she’s a good person.”

“No, I get that. I mean, most people don’t jump in to help people they don’t know unless they really think that they can help. Where does Emma’s experience with unruly teenagers come from?”

“She did raise a teenager as well, you know.” _But Spencer isn’t unruly. Their relationship is so solid. I can’t imagine Spencer doing half the things Ashley has done. So where_ does _her experience come from? Where does her experience with alcoholism come from?_

“Regina?”

“Sorry.” Regina startled. “I can’t speak to Emma’s motives but I’m grateful for them. I’m not sure where Ashley and I would be if the Swan’s hadn’t come to town. Ashley really cares for Spencer.” _Enough to actually show real emotion and break down in her arms._ “And she respects Emma.” _More than she respects me._ “Ashley actually came downstairs to cook with us last night.” Regina admitted. “I mean, I know she did it because that’s the only way she gets to see Spencer now, but she still did. And she was,” _a little withdrawn,_ “polite enough, and she was loosening up by the time we ate. I think Emma’s idea is a little brilliant.”

“Well, good then. Maybe she can come up with a brilliant idea to save the school events.” Kathryn tossed down her pen and gave a tight smile.

_Don’t worry, Kathryn, I already asked her._

**

“You look like you need a bear claw, partner.” Ruby smiled lightly at the faraway look on Emma’s face. “Or maybe some whiskey in your coffee?”

The blonde finally drew her eyes up and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry, Red. Yeah that sounds good. The bear claw, not the whiskey.” 

“You got it.”

Emma perched on the stool at the counter while Ruby busied herself making her coffee. “Here you are, one of your fifty coffees for the day and a treat.” She slid the pastry over on a plate and Emma picked at it absentmindedly. “Okay seriously Swan, what’s up?”

_What isn’t going on in my life right now?_ Emma rolled her eyes. “Frigging teens, I swear.”

“Spencer alright?” Ruby said quickly. 

“Yeah, yeah. She’s fine. She and Ashley just said some stuff today that got me thinking.”

Emma watched Ruby glance around the diner and seemingly decide that no one needed her immediate attention. She leaned her elbows on the counter and smirked. “Alright spill. What did they say that got you thinking? About work?” Ruby watched her face carefully and Emma kept her expression neutral. “About moving here? About them dating? About Regina?” Emma glanced up and Ruby gasped. “Oh my god, I knew it!” She squealed loud enough for a few patrons to turn and stare and Emma glared. “You have the hots for Regina!” Ruby whispered yelled. “Oh I so called it.”

Emma kept her face deadpanned but Ruby was still happy to run with it. 

“Oh you totally do. Your whole “I’m so tough and serious and stoic” thing totally melts away when the Mayor is in the room. So, you’re into that “impeccable business suit on the outside and boss me around on the inside” thing, huh?”

Emma smirked. “Probably about as much as you’re into the whole “I’m such a tortured artist I don’t even tell people I’m a tortured artist on the outside and secretly loving all the attention and preening under the compliments from you on the inside” thing, yeah.”

Ruby balked. “Shut it, Swan.”

“You shut it.” 

The waitress narrowed her eyes. “I notice I didn’t hear a denial in that whole speech there, Blondie.”

_Who could deny liking Regina?_ “I’m a lesbian with eyeballs, of course Regina is attractive.” _And smart and kind and soft underneath all that armor._ “But like I told the kids, it’d be too complicated to actually date her.” _Which is why you need to stop texting her cute shit no matter how natural it feels, Swan._

“I say go for it.” Ruby’s voice was suddenly serious. 

“What?” Emma put her coffee down. _What is with this town telling me to date Regina today?_

“Look, Ems, I’ve known Regina forever. Her whole life has been about Ashley and Henry and then the town and that’s it. She’s friends with Principal Knight but I think that’s mostly wine and interaction with someone who isn’t a child for both of them. She does nothing, she socializes with no one. But,” Ruby shrugged, “she sat down for lunch with you.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “She was getting take-out and sat down with me to wait while you brought out her food.”

“Yeah. And that’s still the first time that’s happened. Ever.”

_Wait, really?_

“Look at it this way, you told me you think Ashley and Spencer would be good for each other right? What was it you said?”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “That they’d balance each other out.” 

“Exactly. It never occur to you that you and our Mayor could balance each other out? You teach her to relax and go with the flow and she teaches you to become a part of something.”

Emma’s eyebrows shot upwards. “You charging for this session, Red?” _God nobody gets it. There’s a reason Spencer and I can’t really be a part of something. Don’t they think I want to feel a connection too?_

Emma tried not to think about Ruby’s words.

_Emma adjusted the baby carefully in her arms. The night was quiet and the stars were out and she thought Spencer would find more peace in her arms, looking up at the night sky, than she would inside that awful house. No one had even noticed she’d walked right out to the back patio with the baby; no one even noticed they were missing._

_“Just you and me, kiddo.” She whispered to the baby gently. She touched her little cheek softly and made sure she wasn’t cold. “It’ll be me and you forever, alright? We’re bonded for life.” She rocked the baby gently and little Spencer laid peacefully in her arms and against her chest. “And I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, okay? I promise. My whole life now is about taking care of you.” Emma felt the promise settle deep inside her bones; it was now a tangible part of her. “And I’ll do it right. I’m already reading books about parenting and healthy eating and habits and stuff. We’ll be okay.” Emma had the parenting books hidden away under her bed like some of her classmates’ hid porn. Spencer waved a little hand and Emma’s heart melted like it did whenever Spencer did anything. “I know things are looking ugly now. But I’ll get tougher. I’ll get stronger so I can protect you.” She shifted a little when Spencer’s body pressed up against the burn on her arm; the skin still pulled tight from where the cigarette had been put out on her. She had never been forced to smell her own flesh burning before today. “But it’ll get better. We’ll make something beautiful for ourselves.” She smiled widely as an idea came to her. “We’ll be Swans, okay? Emma and Spencer Swan. I like, it’s got a good ring, doesn’t it?” Spencer gurgled and Emma cooed. She leaned down to press a gentle kiss into soft, almost invisible blonde hair. “Yes, you like it too, don’t you? One day we’ll be free from here. And we’ll be Swans. I promise.”_

“Emma?”

The blonde startled and she reached for her coffee cup to hide the motion. “Sorry, Red.” Emma forced a chuckle. “Guess I need this coffee even more than usual.”

“Sure.” Ruby nodded but clearly didn’t believe her. “Hey, I didn’t mean to push or pry or anything,”

Emma waved her off. “No, stop. It’s fine. I’m just out of it today. I’m sorry.” She finished her coffee in one long gulp and she ignored the burn down her throat. “I’ll catch you later, alright Ruby?”

“Yeah, Ems. Text me later if you want.”

Emma waved to acknowledge her and was already walking out of the diner. 

_I’ve sacrificed too much to forget my promises now. Spencer will just have to understand that._

_God I’m sorry Regina._

**

Ashley hadn’t even left her Porsche yet and she already wanted to turn around and hide back under the covers in her bed. This wouldn’t be the first time Ashley had to arrive at school after missing a day due to drunken debauchery; but it would be the first time she had no effort or energy into putting into her rock princess mask. 

Normally she could play this all off, soak up the attention and move onto the next bit of gossip without missing a beat. But normally she had a shot or two of Jack Daniels to help as well as the knowledge that Aiden and Madison would be waiting with a smile. 

_And normally my hands wouldn’t be fucking trembling._

She shook her fingers out and flexed her hands nearly violently and she finally pushed open the car door. Her makeup flawlessly covered up the bags under her eyes but she could do nothing to stop her hands from shaking. Only when she touched an instrument did her hands, and mind, settle down enough. 

Almost every person she passed in the parking lot called out to her and waved and Ashley could only muster up the energy to nod back at them. People began whispering instantly and Ashley knew they were already talking about the difference in their so called Queen. 

_Fuck this._

She had barely made it inside when she heard the talk of Spencer and Aiden. Ashley grit her teeth. _Is this what it feels like when I don’t bother to whisper?_ She knew that Spencer and Aiden weren’t actually dating. Spencer had told her so. _Spencer wouldn’t lie to me. Even after all of that. Spencer would never lie to my face._

Aiden had said nothing on the matter because he wasn’t speaking to her at all yet. Ashley had finally broken down and texted Spencer asking if there was any hope for her and her best guy friend. Spencer had politely responded that she wouldn’t play the middleman and bridge the gap between them. As much as Ashley had understood, and respected the blonde for being a better friend than she had ever been, it also made her want to fling her phone across the room again and go find some of Regina’s apple cider. 

The brunette hesitated to take a deep breath outside the English classroom. _You can do this Davies. You’re still Ashley fucking Davies. You can do this. You do not want to end up in rehab. You do not want to end up like your parents…_

She strode through the door with more confidence than she really felt and she noticed the blatant surprise, and suspicion, and her teachers face. “Miss Davies, first to English class. This must be a first.” 

Ashley had always found Ms. de Vil beautiful and also slightly frightening. Her unique hairstyle, dyed half black and half white, had been the talk of town for quite some time though the brunette had always thought it cool. Her lips were painted red, always, and her perfectly arched eyebrows were helped along with makeup. One of her many fur coats was hanging from the coatrack in the corner of the classroom and she towered over Ashley when she stood from her desk. “Should I be concerned for some sort of prank?” Ms. de Vil’s eyes never left Ashley and the brunette knew her own appearance was being boldly appraised. 

She hadn’t bothered with her outfit today and she was wearing jeans, an AC/DC black t-shirt and a black jacket with boots two inches shorter than her usual. Her makeup was only done to hide the flaws and not enhance and her hair was simply down and curly. 

“Not a prank. I actually got here early because I wanted to speak to you.”

“Also a first.” de Vil smirked. “By all means then, please, sit down.” She gestured to the chair in the front row right in front of her desk. The woman’s pale blue eyes never left Ashley and the brunette got the feeling like she was enjoying this. 

“I,” _Jesus Davies, just do it,_ “came to ask for your help.”

Ms. de Vil actually laughed. “My help? Whatever for?”

_Alternative clothing styles and killing animals._ “English.”

Now the teachers smirk was even wider. “You’ve never seemed to care about English before?”

_Don’t lose your temper. Don’t lose your temper._ “I’m…trying to make different choices. And I would like to pass your class this semester.” Ashley hid her hands under the desk so the teacher wouldn’t see them trembling. 

“Ah.” de Vil steepled her hands together before her on the desk and Ashley heard her nails click together. “That kind of help.”

“Yes.” _Don’t snap. Don’t get angry._

“I admit myself surprised. The great and popular, cares about nothing but herself and her music, Ashley Davies, actually coming to ask her teachers for help to pass her classes?” 

_Okay. The Devil is being a bitch but don’t lose your shit. Don’t snap. You need her to pass Davies._ “Yes.” 

“Interesting.” The imposing woman considered her for a moment. “My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.”

_Devil has flipped her lid. Repeat. Devil has gone crazy._ “Excuse me?”

De Vil smirked. “It’s the opening line of Great Expectations.” Ashley’s heart sank. “The novel we’ve been reading this semester that you clearly haven’t even opened.” She laughed again. “And you come asking me for help?”

_Fuck this._ “I can see this was a waste of my time.” Ashley snarled. She slammed her hands down on the table and went to stride from the room. She only made it halfway. 

“Davies. Sit back down.” Her voice was sharp and lethal. 

Ashley clenched her teeth. Normally she’d have flipped the woman off by now and accepted her later suspension. _But nothing about this is normal._ With hands clenched to hide the trembling Ashley turned back around and took her seat once more.

De Vil was surprised. “You’re serious about wanting help?”

_Would I be putting up with you if I didn’t?_ “Yes.”

“Very well then.” She had the look of someone who had just found delicious revenge. “It will not be easy, however.”

_What about my life has been easy this far?_ “What do you want?” 

“Okay Davies. Here’s the deal. Firstly, you have to have perfect attendance for the rest of the semester. You miss a class, and the deal is off.”

Ashley shifted uneasy. “What’s the deal?”

“You get one week for every two chapters of the book. You have to read the two chapters, analyze it, and put a thoughtful summary of the chapter as well as Pip’s thoughts, feelings and experiences into a report. Then, you have to take the report and condense it into something other than book report style. You will hand both the report and the other medium into me each week for extra credit.” _Oh my god, no way. Is she really…?_ “And Ashley? For that other medium?” She smirked now. “You are allowed to express yourself in any way you choose…except for poetry. So no song lyrics.”

_I’m fucked._

**

Emma was at first pleasantly surprised to see that Ashley had moved away from her car and was already stretching when she jogged up to the car park on their trail. When she got closer and could hear the clearly irate brunette mumbling under her breath she figured she was in for an interesting jog. The blonde had barely stretched her legs out and Ashley was taking off down the path and Emma quickly fell into step beside her. “You going to tell me?” She finally asked after five minutes of Ashley really pushing herself. 

“You want to know who I’m angry at now? How about the whole fucking school who can’t function for one day without me. How about the entire fucking class who feels the need to talk about me like I’m not even fucking there? How about Spencer? That’s right, Spencer.” Ashley spat. “Your perfect sister for being supportive and amazing and kind when I don’t deserve it but still won’t fucking tell Aiden to talk to me! How about Aiden himself for being a douche and not forgiving me?” 

Emma was actually a little concerned during Ashley’s rant because her breathing had gotten harsh and sweat was already rolling down from her temples. “Sounds like you had a bad day at school.”

“You think? Like seeing Aiden and Spencer being all buddy buddy isn’t hard enough.”

“Are you mad at them for being friends, or mad at yourself because it’s your fault you can’t be with them?

“Of course I’m mad at myself!” Ashley snapped. “I’ve bitched and complained about this town blaming me for everything for years and it turns out it’s actually my fucking fault.” 

Emma made the conscious decision to slow their pace. She gambled that Ashley would fall in step with her instead of just running ahead and leaving the blonde behind. 

“I’ve told you Ashley, the only things to blame yourself for are the things that actually are your fault. And now that you know what those things are, you can choose not to make them again and move on.”

“How can I move on when the people here won’t let me!?” 

“Okay. High knees.”

“What?” Ashley looked over like Emma had spoken gibberish and the blonde demonstrated. Each step she took she pulled her knee up so that it almost touched her stomach. 

“High knees. C’mon, kiddo.”

Ashley shook her head but finally attempted to copy the blonde. Their pace slowed even more as Ashley had to concentrate on not tripping over herself and falling on her face. 

“Same height every time. Left, right. Left, right. Good.”

The brunette’s breathing was harsh and she was really starting to sweat now. 

“Good. Watch your breathing though. And when your knee comes up contract your stomach muscles. Good. Just like that.”

Ashley glared like she wanted to say something sarcastic but couldn’t currently manage it. Emma watched the brunette closely as she jogged beside her. It looked like it took Ashley almost five minutes to finally find the rhythm to jogging like this and Emma knew her thighs and calves had to be killing her. 

“Okay down.” Emma dropped her high knees and Ashley let out a groan as she did the same.

“Oh thank fuck.”

“Nope, don’t stop moving completely. Light jog, c’mon.” Emma kept their pace extremely easy and Ashley made no complaints. Emma analyzed her step and thought she saw a little less rage behind those brown eyes. “Want to tell me what happened today to set you off?”

“Everything.” Ashley no longer sounded pissed; she sounded defeated. “I really thought Aiden would have forgiven me by now and he hasn’t. Spencer hung around him most of the day. And I know I have no right to be jealous but that really sucked. Madison seems to realize that while I’m struggling the entire school is looking to her.” She scoffed. “Whatever she can have them.”

“And?” _Tell me the real truth, kiddo._

“And I realized that I’m fucked, okay?”

“How so?” She wondered if Ashley was tired and exerting herself enough to actually keep talking without getting defensive. 

“Regina and I made a deal. I have to stop drinking and pass all my classes and I don’t have to go to rehab.”

“And you’re just realizing now that would be very difficult?” Emma made sure that her tone didn’t sound overly critical; it didn’t help.

“I always thought it would be difficult! But I didn’t think people would be actively hoping for me to fail!”

Emma tensed her body and her teeth came together with a snap. _I swear to God if this kid is trying to change and do better and someone is actively trying to make her fail they will be dealing with me and then I’ll rat them the fuck out to Regina._ “What?”

“The fucking Devil Cruella!”

Emma blinked. “What? Who?”

Ashley sighed. “My English teacher, Cruella de Vil.” Emma took note of the name. _She will have no idea what hit her if I have to get involved and find her. It’s a small town; it will be the easiest find I’ve ever done._ “I had to ask her for extra credit work so that I can pass English.”

“And she refused?” _How tough can an English teacher be? And Regina will have my back._

“No, she said fine.”

_Oh._ “So, why are you screwed?”

“I have to read this really old book. Two chapters a week. I have to do a report on the chapter and the main character or whatever. And then condense that into a medium of my choice to express it.” _A different medium? What is she complaining about then?_ “But no poetry or song lyrics allowed.” Ashley basically moaned. 

_Ah._ “And you don’t think you can do it?”

“Music is all I have! All I’m good at! I don’t even know what another medium for expressing shit is!”

Emma chuckled. “Don’t be dramatic. Look, I don’t think de Vil is trying to make you fail, I think she’s trying to make sure you’re serious. Getting you to write a song is too easy. Doing it this way you have to actually try and make an effort. If she has to grade even more stuff I think she wants to know you’re going to put serious effort in.”

“I would put effort into music for the assignment too!” The brunette sounded offended and Emma shook her head.

“But music comes too easily for you. I bet you could pull song lyrics out of basically anything. This isn’t an excuse to fail, Ashley, it’s a challenge.” _One you are not going to fail. I won’t let you, and neither will Spencer._

“A hard challenge.”

“I think that’s a good thing.” The brunette arched an eyebrow. “I do. Sitting around moping that you’re not with Aiden or Spencer is not a good way to stop yourself from drinking. Being busy and being tired are.” 

Ashley huffed. “What’s a medium I can use?”

“Art?”

“Great.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself. Read the two chapters and maybe something will come to you naturally. What’s the book anyway?”

“Great Expectations.”

“Man, they were reading that when I was in high school.” Emma laughed. “Okay, high knees again.”

Ashley groaned but did as she was told. “You trying to kill me, Swan?” She managed to groan. 

“Not yet.” She considered the sweating but determined brunette beside her. “How would you feel about a few more workouts with me? And maybe with Spencer.”

“More?” Ashley groaned. “I already run twice a day with you for Christ Sakes. God, I thought I was in such good shape.” She moaned.

“I wasn’t thinking of more cardio. I was thinking more of something you can learn in stages and then practice on your own. It’s good for whenever you’re feeling angry, or craving.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

Emma smirked. “Why don’t you start showing up at our place Saturday and Sunday mornings and find out? That is, if you can handle Spencer in her workout gear this time.” Ashley groaned and Emma actually laughed.

She noticed that while Ashley’s body was drenched with sweat her hands were no longer shaking and the anger had dimmed behind her eyes. 

_Good job, kiddo._

**

Spencer smiled at the sight of her favourite waitress and her favourite local author leaning up against the brick wall of the diner together. She had been out for a jog to try and clear her head and she’d been running up and down basically every side street Storybrooke had to offer. She hadn’t even realized that Granny’s must have a back alleyway until she’d stumbled upon it. 

She couldn’t do anything about interrupting the pair, and the little dog, now because they’d already looked up and seen her. 

“Good god.” Ruby called out as she got closer. “Apart from your coffee habits you and your sister are like the healthiest people I know. It’s frankly disgusting.” 

Spencer slowed down and stopped before them and casually stretched out her legs. “You don’t look like a slouch either there, Ruby.”

The waitress waved a hand to dismiss the comment. “Please, I count calories like any sane human being. I don’t actually just like, live healthy lifestyles. Gross.”

Dorothy snickered now and Spencer grinned at her. “Do you like working out, Dorothy?”

Ruby burst into laughter and Dorothy smacked her in the stomach. “Do I _like_ to, no. Hell no. I do just enough so I don’t get fat.” 

“Fair enough.” Spencer glanced around the alley. “You know, Ruby, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of Granny’s.”

Now the waitress groaned. “That’s because I never am outside of Granny’s. Why do you think Dorothy has to come over here so we can spend my half hour break in the alley literally attached to Granny’s just so we can see each other?”

Spencer smiled wickedly and Dorothy narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want the author mad at her but maybe she could help a little bit. _Is it interfering and meddling if you’re doing it with good intentions and you’re not gossiping about it later?_ “That’s cute she does that for you. Did Dorothy tell you I thought you guys were dating? I was really embarrassed when she had to correct me.”

Ruby shrugged but Spencer could see the way her eyes quickly flicked over to the other brunette. “Don’t sweat it, kid, you wouldn’t be the first.”

“That’s what Dorothy said. And then she told me to shut my mouth.”

Both brunettes gasped. Ruby chuckled but Dorothy pointed an accusing finger. “Liar! I told you to shut up, there’s a big difference.”

“I’m sure Emma will think so.” Ruby laughed. “It was nice knowing you.”

Dorothy glared; the humour in her eyes made Spencer decide to keep playing. “Thought that was between us, Swan?”

“Thought you only told me to keep that from Emma? Not Ruby.”

“And have you seen those two lately?” Dorothy nodded her head at the taller brunette. “Risky business.” 

“You’re just jealous.” Ruby stuck out her tongue childishly. 

_God they’re cute. It must really suck to have had people in your business forever. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be together though. They should just keep it out of everybody’s business._ “Hey Dorothy I actually meant to say something to you. Do you remember when we were talking about Ashley?” 

Ruby looked a little more serious. “You want me to give you two a minute?”

“No, no. That’s fine. I was just complaining to Dorothy that people were basically trying to live in mine and Ashley’s relationship. And we don’t even have a relationship yet! Anyway, Dorothy just told me to ignore them and focus on the two of us, which was the important thing. I just wanted to thank you. Ashley and I had a talk about everything and I feel better knowing where she and I really stand instead of listening to other people.” Spencer knew Dorothy’s eyes were narrowed but the brunette was smart enough not to say she hadn’t really given that advice at all. 

Ruby smiled at the author. “Well, I think that was good advice. You did good.” Ruby nudged her playfully. “But my breaks almost over, you want me to bring you a coffee Spence?”

“Please and thank you.”

The waitress went to leave and Spencer noticed when Ruby automatically trailed her fingers down Dorothy’s arm as she left. “So.” Dorothy arched an eyebrow. “You’re a little shit, huh?” She winced again. “Don’t tell the elder Swan about that one either.”

“My lips are sealed.” Spencer smirked. She bent down to pet Toto gently and the dog licked her fingers. 

“I know what you’re doing, you know.”

“Well god, I should hope so.” Spencer teased. “You’d have to fairly oblivious not to. I’m just giving you a nudge.”

“I don’t need a nudge.” Dorothy insisted. “People have been nudging me for years.”

“Then maybe Ruby needed a nudge.”

“Maybe I’ll nudge you right outta this alley, huh?” Dorothy’s voice was gruff but the small smirk on her lips gave her away. 

Ruby returned with a flourish. “Piping hot and black.”

“Thanks Ruby.” Spencer stood, wiped off her hands on her jogging shorts and took a gulp right away even though she was still a little hot from having run all over Storybrooke.

“No problem, kid. Hey I meant to ask you, did Emma not bring you that blue hair dye? She brought mine.” Dorothy’s hand rose and trailed through Ruby’s red streak seemingly without thought. _God they’ve got it bad._

Spencer playfully scowled at the waitress. “Yes she did, it’s sitting on the fridge. I don’t technically have possession of it yet because I made a stupid bet.”

“Which would be?” 

“Landing a clean hit on her in our sparring matches.” Spencer grumbled. “It usually doesn’t take this long but since we made the bet she’d been all about the defence.” _I’m normally quicker than her damnit, but she’s been playing it so safe just to irk me._

Both brunettes blinked. “You…fight Emma?” Ruby finally managed to ask.

“No.” Spencer was quick to answer. “Emma taught me self-defence,” _a lot of deadly self-defence,_ “but sparring isn’t fighting. It’s a training and practicing tool. The goal isn’t to win.”

“It’s to get hair dye.” Dorothy teased. 

“Exactly. Anyway, I should go but it was nice running into you two. I’m sorry I took up your limited time together while on break.”

“All good, kiddo.” Ruby smiled.

“Yeah.” Dorothy nodded a little more seriously. “All good. Really, I should be thanking you, this goof gets boring.”

Ruby gasped in offence but Spencer smiled at the “thank you” Dorothy had managed to sneak in.

“Any time.”

_What is it with this town? All the lesbians really need to get their shit together. It’s pretty bad when the delinquent alcoholic and the orphan pyromaniac have the most stable relationship._

**

Regina scowled at the amount of paperwork on her desk that she knew she would just end up bringing home. She had pulled up the records of every fundraising event in Storybrooke history and still no grand idea had come to her to save the school events. The town was just too small. They could host bake sales and car washes all semester long but with the same pool of people donating time and money there just wasn’t enough of an income. 

_I can strong arm Gold into helping because of Peter but Albert Spencer doesn’t have kids and couldn’t care less._ Regina knew that she, Gold and Albert were the richest people in town and between them they could fund the events easily. However, Town Council had a restriction on members paying for Town expenses with personal funds for a reason; so that the mayor and the council couldn’t solely fund the things that were important to them. 

“So,” Regina looked up startled and already glaring at the intruder, “that’s your “I’m seriously working mayoral face”, huh.”

Regina let a small smile play across her lips. “It was, until you scared me.” She motioned the blonde inside her office. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood?” Emma gave a charming smile.

“It’s Storybrooke, dear, everywhere is in the neighborhood.”

“In that case, I saw your Benz in the parking lot and I thought, I wanted to talk to her anyway, I might as well convince her to go home and stop working at the same time.”

“Oh?” Regina closed the folders on her desk. _I suppose fundraising can wait just one more night._ “And what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Does the name Calvin Spunketti mean anything to you?”

Regina narrowed her eyes. _What on earth?_ “I know everyone in my town, Emma. High school graduate who works at the gas station out on Water Street.”

“He’s also your resident drug dealer.” 

_What did she just say?!_ “Excuse me?”

“I mean, small town, obviously.” Emma put her hands up somewhat defensively. “But yeah, I caught him dealing drugs today. I couldn’t do anything about him, but I did get his bag and probably his stash for a week or two.”

_Oh god no, this cannot be happening right now. Not now with everything with Ashley and that blasted imp breathing down my neck._ “And what did you do with it?” Regina scanned Emma’s person like she half-expected to find her holding drugs right this second. 

“I took it to Graham, obviously.”

_And he didn’t call me right away!?_ “What did Graham say?”

For some reason Emma chuckled. “Thank you. Sort of. And that he’d take care of it. But he already knew that Spunk sold drugs.” 

Regina’s blood ran cold. She watched Emma, who was curiously examining her office, for a second because she couldn’t get her mouth to work right. Emma was making her way over to the office couch when she seemingly noticed the look on Regina’s face and changed course for her desk immediately. “Regina, are you okay?”

_What is Graham thinking?! He knows he’s to tell me anything regarding this town immediately!_ Regina missed Emma’s concern until a hand landed gently on her arm. “Pardon?”

“I asked if you were alright?”

“I’m fine, dear. I’m just…shocked. Sheriff Humbert doesn’t usually keep things from me, for exactly this reason. I don’t like being blindsided.”

“I’m sorry for that.” Emma rubbed her thumb in soothing circles gently. “I didn’t mean to blindside you but I had a feeling you didn’t know, and that you should.”

“Yes, no,” Regina cracked another small smile, “I mean, thank you Emma. For doing what you could and for telling me about it.” _Graham is going to regret the day he lied to me._ “Obviously, I will be speaking to Sheriff Humbert and we will be making a plan to deal with the situation immediately.”

“Okay.” Emma finally removed her hand and Regina missed the contact. She glanced up and found emerald eyes appraising her. “You looked stressed even before this, everything else okay?”

“Just a long day.”

“Well,” Emma reached out a hand, “come sit and tell me about it?”

_What?_ Regina wasn’t entirely sure what was being offered by the blonde. _She wants to just, sit and listen to me rant about my day?_ Emma was still waiting with her hand out and Regina hesitantly placed her own hand in the blondes. 

She couldn’t help but glance down at the hand that held her own; it was her left hand meaning it was the wrist that was adorned with the broken watch. From this close Regina could clearly see how every single metal link making up the band of the watch had been, seemingly, pierced into the skin as well as linking onto the next piece of the chain. Most of the glass had been lost but a few shards were still hanging in place on the square watch face. The detail in the tattoo was incredible; so incredible that Regina could tell at a glance that the time displayed on the watch was 2:18. The closest of the tiny pictures located around the rim of the watch face to the time displayed were the dove and the handcuffs.

Regina almost stumbled against the desk because she’d been so busy staring at the ink on Emma’s skin that she had practically forgotten the blonde was trying to lead her to the couch. She cleared her throat on reflex and hoped Emma hadn’t caught her. 

The brunette sat down demurely and Emma plunked herself onto the cushion beside her. “So talk to me. What happened today?”

Regina was about to condense her day into a short, polite story when she realized who exactly she was sharing a couch with. A blonde woman who had strode into her town and her life and apparently just made herself comfortable. The blonde who didn’t see the Evil Queen or the mayor and just saw Regina. That woman that saw Ashley as a hurt and troubled youth and not as a delinquent. The woman who was taking off her hideous red leather jacket to get comfortable and showing off even more of her ink; ink that Regina wouldn’t in a thousand years have ever thought she would like. “You know what? My day was shit.”

Emma let out a bark of laughter. “It happens. Lay it on me.” 

“Well firstly, Russel Gold is up to something and I can’t quite figure it out. Have you met Mr. Gold yet? I hope not, for your sake. Don’t ever trust that man, Emma, I’d call him a snake but it would be an insult to snakes. He’s a sneaky, filthy little imp. He runs a Pawn shop and he’s the head of the Small Business Council but his real power comes from owning half the properties in town.”

“Don’t mess with Gold, got it.”

“He wanted to catch me off guard and tell the rest of Town Council that I didn’t have a plan in place for the plumbing and piping crisis. But I handled that, thankfully.”

“Right. I’m assuming that has something to do with why I’m going to be helping fundraise?”

“Exactly. I announced that plan at the meeting. Everyone was pretty pleased, because it didn’t affect them, except Kathryn obviously. I still get the feeling like Gold is up to something. And Albert and Mother Superior are always happy to see me fail.”

“Well. Then we’ll show ‘em that you kick ass. And we’ll fix this.”

Regina grinned at the easy smile on Emma’s face. _Does she really believe that?_ “I shudder to think what would happen if Gold finds out about this Spunketti situation.” Regina said the name like she had a bad taste in her mouth. 

“Spunk is nothing, easy to take care of. I’m sure even Graham can handle him.”

Regina made a mental note that Emma said _Graham’s_ name like she had a bad taste in her mouth. 

“Enough about me, how was your day?” Regina noted that Emma shifted awkwardly. “Problem?”

“No, no. Just our teenagers today, I guess.”

Regina went rigid. “Is everything okay with them? Spencer? Is Ashley-”

“Woah, Regina. I’m sorry, they’re fine.” The blonde slid closer and her hand fell naturally to Regina’s thigh. “I shouldn’t have said it like that, they’re both fine.” She rolled her eyes. “They were being little shits today, actually. They’ve started ganging up on me. We should be careful.”

Regina was still watching the blonde carefully. “We should be careful, indeed. What were they ganging up on you about?”

Emma was quiet for so long Regina wasn’t sure she was ever going to answer. While comforting anyone but her kids didn’t come naturally to her she tried by gently touching the hand still resting on her thigh. “Emma?”

“They just… You know how sometimes teenagers see things in black and white? Like it’s so easy for them?”

“Of course. Teenagers usually don’t see the whole picture or the bigger set of consequences. It’s why they’re not legally trusted with certain decisions.”

“Right. Exactly. So, they just both wanted me to do something and I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

_Why are you hedging, Emma?_ Regina was a politician and she knew that Emma was dodging around a lot in this conversation she just wasn’t sure _why_. “Well. I think you should listen to your head. If you think it’s a bad idea I’m sure your judgement is more sound than the kids.”

“Exactly.” Emma repeated. She gave a wry grin. “I made this decision with my head and not my heart.”

Regina furrowed her eyebrows. “I guess? That’s one way of putting it.”

The blonde chuckled. “No, that’s- never mind. Doesn’t matter. Right. Okay. So I’m glad you agree. It would be a bad idea. Right?”

Regina was getting confused; not just by the blonde’s behaviour but by the sadness in her eyes. “If you believe it to be a bad idea, then I’m sure it is.” Regina tried to help. “Like you said to Ashley. If you’ve been making certain decisions perhaps it’s time to make different ones.”

Emma’s head snapped around so suddenly that Regina startled; it was that which made her realize they were still holding hands clasped over her thigh. Emma seemed to realize it as well and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before pulling back. “Right. Um. So, I came to convince you that you work too much and it’s time to go home. May I walk you out?”

“Of course. Thank you, dear.” Regina had no idea what exactly had just happened but she smiled politely and stood to gather her things. She crammed, gently, all the files from her desk into her briefcase and grabbed for her purse. Emma looked dazed, like she was a million miles away, but she still opened the door politely and gestured her through. “Thank you.”

“Hey Regina?”

The brunette led the way down the hall and she just barely glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“Do you want to have dinner with me?”


	9. Forbidden Fruit

“So. Real talk.”

Spencer looked up in surprise and Emma smirked at her. Emma could see that her younger sister was quickly trying to calculate what this could possibly be about.

“Real talk about what?”

Emma laughed and gestured for her to have a seat at the breakfast bar. “You were right about something, and I was wrong, and I thought you’d want your moment to gloat about it.”

The younger blonde gave a triumphant laugh and sat down with flourish. “What was I right about?”

“I asked Regina out.”

Spencer nearly slipped sideways off the stool. “What? Really?”

“Yes, really.” She chuckled when Spencer fist pumped. 

“Yes! Operation SwanQueen for the win!”

Emma cocked an eyebrow. “Operation what?” _What the hell have these kids been up to?_

“Not important. What is important, is that you tell me what made you change your mind and admit that I was right?” Spencer was grinning like Christmas had come early. 

“I guess,” _God what_ had _I actually been thinking_ , “it was really Regina herself. I just…I don’t know. Can’t stay away I guess. We’ve been texting,” she blatantly ignored Spencer’s squeal, “and talking. And I showed up at her office really without even thinking about it. And I tried to get Regina’s opinion without really telling her what it was about,”

“And she said don’t be stupid, go for it, and then you asked her out?!”

Emma laughed. “It’s not one of your screenplays, kiddo. No, she agreed with me. Said you kids didn’t know what you were talking about and that I should listen to my own head.”

“So how did that come around to you asking her out?” 

“She…well, she quoted me. To me. Said if I’ve been making certain decisions I should make different ones. I know what she meant.” Emma huffed. “But…Spence I’ve barely dated in my life.” She watched the younger blonde deflate and instantly reached out to grab her hand. “That is _not_ your fault, Spencer. Okay? That was my choice.” She squirmed awkwardly. “I think if I’m being honest I’ve always found dating terrifying.” _How do normal people just let someone in? Sitting down together and trying to find out personal shit about each other sounds like an interrogation, not a pleasurable experience._ “And with our lives, and our past, I guess I just always had a ready-made excuse to not bother even trying.”

Spencer nodded slowly. “And when Regina told you to make different decisions…”

“Yeah. I realized maybe it _is_ time to follow my own advice and make different decisions. So I asked her out to dinner.”

Spencer’s smile was slow in forming but she eventually had a wide grin and was almost vibrating on her stool. “That’s even cuter than what I originally hoped for!”

“Oh good Jesus.” Emma went to leave the kitchen laughing but Spencer darted after her. 

“So? What’s the plan? What’s your date going to be?”

Emma paused. “Dinner. Didn’t I say that?” When Spencer blinked at her like she was waiting for more words she realized she was doing something wrong. “What?”

“That’s it? Just dinner? What, you going to take her to Granny’s?”

The elder blonde sighed and tilted her head but humoured Spencer. “What is your point?”

“Emma! Regina is classy and refined and I don’t think she dates very often. It can’t just be a mediocre, average dinner. You have to plan the best first date ever, don’t you know anything?” 

“Oh c’mon, Spence.” Emma walked back to her room to put her wallet and her keys in her jogging shorts. Spencer followed along behind her. 

“I’m serious!”

“Spencer. All that cutesy shit, whatever you’re thinking from all those books you’ve read. It’s just not me. If she’s expecting horse-drawn carriages, and hundred dollar plates at the fanciest restaurant and moonlight walks on the beach she agreed to a date with the wrong woman.”

Spencer blinked. “I’m calling Ashley for back-up on this.”

“Don’t call Ashley over here, I’m about to meet her for our morning run anyway.”

“How’s she doing with that, by the way?” 

Emma could tell that, while Spencer really did care about the date conversation, that concern for Ashley had completely overrode her priorities. _Much like Ashley does at any mention of you._ She realized Spencer was more nervous than she thought when her phone was slid back into her back pocket but her Zippo was pulled out to occupy her hands instead. Because she was home and only with Emma she actually lit it to flame with every rhythmic open and close. 

Emma watched the little flame in her sister’s hand carefully. “I think she’s doing as well as she could.” Emma said softly. “She knows it going to be hard and she’s hit some snags in the road already, which sucks. But I think Ashley has the strength to get through it.”

“She has the heart too.” Spencer whispered. 

“Yes she does.” Emma agreed. _I think you have a lot to do with that heart too, kiddo._ “And Spence, don’t worry about the date, okay? I didn’t say I wouldn’t make an effort. I just said I’m still going to be me while I do it.” She flashed her sister a smirk much more confident than she truly felt. “She’s going to love it, I promise.”

_God I hope she loves it._

**

When Regina heard the front door open she was about to call out to Ashley but thought better of it. She didn’t want Ashley to have to walk into her home office and discuss something with her from the other side of the desk like they were having a business meeting. 

Instead she got up to go to her. She found the younger brunette in the kitchen rooting in the crisper for some fruit. “Hello, Ashley.”

“Hey.” She didn’t take her head out of the fridge and Regina held in her sigh. Things had been like this between them ever since their duet. Ever since Regina told her the truth. _Told her that for the first three years of her life I actually did call her daughter. That that’s who she was._ Their stilted and formal conversations hurt almost as much as their screaming matches did. 

“How was school?”

“I went to all four classes if that’s what you’re asking.”

_I wasn’t. I was asking if the teachers were giving you any trouble. If Aiden had forgiven you yet. How Spencer has been treating you since she saw you get violent._ Regina kept the hurt expression from her face. “I’m glad everything is going fine.” She said instead because clearly Ashley didn’t want to get personal. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Ashley finally turned to face her. Regina noticed that she had bags under her eyes and that her hands were trembling as she attempted to peel an orange. “If this is about your date with Emma tonight Spencer and Emma both already told me.”

“I actually just,” _wait what_ , “Emma mentioned that she had asked me out on a date?”

“Yeah.” Ashley tried to stay neutral but Regina could read the respect in brown eyes. “She told me on our run this morning. She said she didn’t want me to be blindsided and she wanted to check and make sure I didn’t think it was super weird or anything.”

_She’s so considerate. Nobody else would have even thought to ask Ashley how she felt._ The younger brunette misinterpreted the silence and threw her orange peel into the trash with some force. 

“I don’t think she would have like, cancelled your date or anything even if I said I was weirded out by it.” She huffed.

“No, I didn’t think that.” Regina said quickly. “So you _did_ say you were okay with it.”

“Well it’s not like I care about your dating life.” Ashley snapped. Regina said nothing because she watched the teen attempt to take a calming breath. “Was that it?”

“I actually just wanted to ask you if you had plans tonight.”

Ashley whirled around on her. “Think I’m going to go party the first second you’re gone? Is that it? In case you haven’t noticed nobody really wants to party with me right now.”

_She’s hurting. Don’t snap._ “No, Ashley. I actually just wanted to ask if you would be at home to watch Henry tonight? And maybe make dinner?”

“Oh.”

Regina could clearly see Ashley’s embarrassment at snapping when it wasn’t deserved. “Or I can whip up something now that you just have to re-heat?” Regina offered.

“No, no. That’s, no. Um. I can cook something with the little dude tonight. It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”

“I’m sorry things are hard for you right now, Ashley.” Regina watched Ashley’s expression shutter closed. _Just like mine would if someone tried to show me sympathy and I thought I had to be tough. God Zelena, did you teach her that? We hated mother for that, how could you do it to her?_ An even worse thought occurred to Regina. _Or was she so neglected she taught it to herself?_

“Regina?”

“Hmm? Sorry.” She was glad for her politician’s skill of not showing any embarrassment even when she was caught day-dreaming. 

“I just asked if you knew when Emma was coming to get you? I’m leaving for our second run in a minute and I’m hoping she’ll shower before coming to get you.” A bit of Ashley’s mischievousness leaked through into her smile and Regina was honestly glad to see it. 

“I’m hoping she does too.” Regina smirked. She decided to bow out then, while they had been smiling at each other, before something inevitably ruined it. “Enjoy your run, dear.” She headed upstairs and Ashley didn’t stop her.

She found Henry reading on his bed. He had a notebook open as well and it was filled with scribbles and doodles and Regina smiled at seeing his creativity everywhere. “What are you reading?”

“A Wrinkle in Time.” Henry answered promptly. “It’s Ashley’s copy, she let me borrow it.”

“Did she now?” Regina sat down on the edge of his bed. 

“Yeah!” Henry’s voice still held that childish excitement she adored; she hoped it never went away. “She said it was one of her favourites of all time and that she thought I’d like it. She said some people might call me too young but that I’m super smart and she knows I can handle it.”

Regina grinned at him. “And so you are. I have no doubt you can handle it either.”

“I can see why Ashley likes it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because everyone in the book thinks Meg is trouble. But she’s obviously amazing cause they wrote a whole book about her.” Henry’s explanation was blunt in its simplicity and Regina had to take a second before she answered him.

“I think that’s very bright of you to see a connection, Henry.” She stroked his hair for a second. _God I wish I knew how he was going to take this._ “Henry, I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about for a moment.” 

“Is it about your date with Emma?” Henry didn’t even take his pencil off his page where he was doodling a character from the book; Regina’s jaw had dropped.

“Excuse me?” 

He finally looked up and met Regina’s eye with a grin. _Oh no. That grin looks like it belongs on Ashley._ “Your date with Emma.” He repeated with a miniature smirk. 

Regina took a breath and knew she had to be calm about this. _Okay. Calm and rational. I can do that. I’m a lawyer and a politician for Christ sakes. I can weasel information subtly out of my son._ She took another calming breath; it didn’t help. “Henry Daniel Mills you will tell me how you know anything about dating let alone my date with Emma right now.”

Her son had the gall to laugh at her. “I’m not a baby, mom. I know what dating is.”

A perfect eyebrow rose on the brunette’s face. “Oh yeah, so what is it?”

“Ashley told me. It’s when you want to spend time with someone you like like without anybody else there. It’s when you want to learn things about someone else and have them know things about you. And if the date is really good and the other person doesn’t blow it, then you kiss.” He scrunched up his face a little. “But I can’t see wanting to go on a date ever because girls are gross.”

Regina let out a breath. _Okay that I can handle._ “Well, Ashley was right. And I do like Emma and so we’re going to go on this date and learn some things about each other. How do you feel about that?”

Henry smiled. “I was the one who named getting you two to date Operation SwanQueen.” He gave his small smirk again. 

“Operati- what?” 

“Ashley came to me.” He shrugged again. “She told me that she and Spencer wanted to get you and Emma on a date. She said that you both would be happy if you did. And I think it’s great! Emma is probably the least gross girl. And she’s got awesome tattoos!”

“That she does.” Regina said under her breath. “And you’re really okay with me going on a date? You don’t have any questions?”

“No.” He was back to doodling. “Ashley just wanted to make sure I was on board so that when you came to talk to me about it you couldn’t back out from the date.”

_Ashley did all this for me? She had to have known the one thing that would make me back out of a date is Henry saying he’s uncomfortable._

“Okay. In that case, I will not be here for dinner tonight, so Ashley is in charge and she’s going to make dinner for you both. Are you sure you don’t have any questions?” She had talked to him before, pretty much when he started school, about what it meant that Regina was a single parent. He had taken it fine, as children do, and dating truly had not come up since then. 

“Nope. Good luck on your date mom.”

Regina chuckled as she stood. “Don’t you mean “have fun”?” 

Henry looked confused. “No. I mean good luck. Ashley said neither person on the date could blow it. So don’t blow it, mom.”

She gave him a deadpanned look. “Thank you for _that_ my little prince.” 

_Well, if I wasn’t worried before…I certainly am now._

**

Ashley hadn’t sat down at her piano since the duet she’d played with Regina and she was avoiding all of her guitars because thinking about her parents currently made her want to smash the instrument against the wall. Accordingly she’d moved about the room playing all of the different instruments, especially the ones she didn’t play as often. She took the time to rosin up all of her bows and played her violin and her cello. She played more country, folk and bluegrass inspired music with the violin before switching to classical, with some classic rock, on her cello. 

Her fingertips and pads had permanent calluses from playing instruments basically her entire life and she needed no break to rest her hand. Playing in the music room was actually the best her hands had felt, with no trembling, all day. 

When she finally rest the cello back on its stand she moved over to pick up the saxophone. She gave the brass a quick buffering before placing her lips to the mouthpiece and getting the instrument to croon smooth jazz throughout the room. The saxophone was eventually put down to play modern pop on the flute and that was exchanged for rock and punk when she sat down at the drum kit. 

She loosened her hands, twirling the sticks around and around between nimble fingers, before letting them fly on the various drums. She stamped her foot on the bass pedal perhaps harder than she normally would and moved her hands so quickly the sticks were a blur. Slowly, out of the solo, a rhythm emerged and Ashley slowed her hands, slowed the beat, and started to play to tune. 

_“I pray it ain't all lost and gone_  
_I pray I might learn right from wrong_  
_And I pray this broken day will not last too long_  
_I pray that you believe my song...”_

Ashley changed the tune slightly to hit the snare and symbols for a chorus she freestyled as it came to her.

_“When I say, different choices_  
_Different measures_  
_Different plans and actions_  
_Different joys and pleasures_  
_Different feelings_  
_Not the same me_  
_C’mon healing_  
_Coming to me_  
_Different choices”_

Instead of drifting away to the music Ashley kept herself rooted in the moment; she pictured Spencer’s faith in her and Emma’s respect of her. She pictured Regina’s tears even as she never gave up hope and Henry’s innocent smile.

_“So now this broken night leads to dawn_  
_And there’s somethin’ else, keep fightin’ on_  
_There’s something I need to be doing_  
_Different choices to make, epiphanies brewing”_

Ashley stopped drumming pretty much instantly. “Shit.” Even as a whisper it sounded loud in the quiet room. _There actually is something that I need to be doing._ Ashley set the drumsticks back on their hook on the wall and scooped up her phone from where she’d carelessly tossed it down. If Spencer didn’t still text her she’d have long broken the device into pieces. _Emma would probably want to know I’ve got violent thoughts still._ Ashley groaned and headed for her bedroom. She’d only been in the music room for half an hour after her second run so she knew that Regina was probably still getting ready in her bedroom and waiting for Emma. That meant there was still some time before she had to keep an eye on Henry.

Her school backpack, actually filled with books for a change, was where she’d tossed it beside her desk after school. She dug through it, eventually dumping it upside down, until she’d found what she was looking for. She toppled over onto her bed with the paperback novel clutched in her hand. “Alright I can do this. We can get through this together can’t we,” she squinted at the cover, “Charles Dickens.” _God how old is this book?_ The copy she had was handed out by the school so it was a little worse for wear. 

Ashley procrastinated by getting comfortable propped up on her pillows and curled in the comforter, and glancing wistfully at the spot where under her mattress a bottle usually resided, before finally cracking open the book. _“My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.”_

_Damn. The Devil knew that off the top of her head._

Ashley tried to read the novel but had only made it three pages before she picked up her cell phone and shot off a quick text. [This book is boring.]

[The Bible? The 91 Principles of Library Cataloguing? Martha Stewart’s Living the Good Long Life?]

Ashley chuckled out loud. _Oh my lord, Spence._ [Yes. But also Great Expectations.]

[The language is old, I admit, but the book isn’t terrible Ash.]

The brunette was grateful that Spencer hadn’t made a big deal about her actually attempting her homework or drawn too much attention to it at all. [The language is insanely old. I honestly just read “it gave me a terrible turn when I thought so.” What the actual shit?]

[What the actual shit is pretty close to what that means actually :)] 

Ashley couldn’t help but smile at the blonde. _The blonde you adore and then treated like shit. The blonde you’re not trusted to really be around. The blonde you don’t deserve to be around._ [I’m really trying Spence.] She sent the message before she could talk herself out of it or second guess showing such weakness. 

[I know. I believe you can do this, Ash. And so that you know I’m only going to help you, you can’t text me again until the first two chapters are finished.]

[Fine.] Ashley didn’t put the phone down for a minute. 

[I’ll be waiting.]

Ashley picked up the novel again with a groan. 

_These Swan’s and their determination to help me._ Ashley pretended like she was scoffing but there were grateful tears in her eyes.

** 

Before the dinner rush wasn’t one of Spencer’s usual times to stop in at Granny’s and get coffee so she was surprised at how busy it was. She shuffled awkwardly in the door and watched, amazed, as Ruby tended to the entire restaurant. She set some drinks down at one table and took another order basically over her shoulder. She almost never stopped moving and Spencer suddenly understood her lean frame and her lack of needing more exercise. Spencer was about to turn around and leave the waitress to it, _surely I can scrounge up something in the house right_ , when Ruby called out for her. “Coffee or food, Swan?” 

Spencer startled a little. _She’s not even looking, how in hell?_ “Food, but don’t worry about it.”

Ruby nodded her head towards the bar counter while she refilled two cups of coffee for another table. “Don’t be silly, have a seat, I’ll get you in a second.”

The blonde noticed that she got a few stares as she crossed the restaurant and she did as Emma would have done; smiled lightly but mostly ignored the looks. 

There was only one seat available right at the end of the bar and Spencer took it gratefully. A shorter, bearded man wearing a rimmed beanie grunted in her direction but said nothing. Spencer decided to ignore the smell of beer, _god or possibly ale_ , wafting off the man and waited silently. 

Her Zippo lighter was pulled from her pants pocket and she flipped it absentmindedly in her lap while she waited for Ruby; the brunette waitress ended up taking her order on the fly while refilling the drinks of the patrons at the bar. 

“Chicken burger and fries.” Spencer intentionally kept the order simple.

“You got it.”

Spencer watched Ruby for another minute and was impressed when she never saw the woman stop to write something down. 

“Did you hear about the fire?” A red-haired man on the other side of the grumpy individual sitting beside Spencer spoke up.

Spencer’s Zippo shut with a click and, even when the rest of her body froze and tensed, she moved her hand subtly and hid the lighter. 

“What?” The grumpy man barely turned his head to acknowledge he’d heard what the ginger man had said. 

“Yes. Out behind the cannery two different dumpsters were lit on fire. I heard Graham said that there was very little chance it was an accident because the dumpsters were five feet apart.”

Spencer forced herself to seem casual as she spied on the men beside her. The red-head was wearing a sweater vest and glasses and had a general air of nervousness about him. The grumpy man grunted and scowled. “This town is going to the dogs.”

“You talking about the fire?” Ruby breezed by behind the counter and started getting more drinks. She could seemingly handle the entire restaurant and gossip at the same time. “I heard it was arson.”

The red-head went to interject but a woman on the other side of him leaned forward. “They’re calling it arson? So someone is setting fires in town intentionally? Why would someone do that?”

The group seemed to look in unison to the red-head. “Well, there’s several reason why someone sets fires. First you could be looking at someone who abuses drugs or alcohol and combined with mental health issues that could lead to abhorrent or unusual behaviour. A lot of the time arsonists have severe abuse or trauma in their childhoods, possibly even traumatic brain injury, which leads to this type of behaviour.” He paused to adjust and clean his glasses. “Of course, then there’s also the pyromaniac. This is an actual impulse control disorder. People struggle to withstand the impulse to start fires and then they eventually give in to relieve the tension or even feel instant gratification.”

Spencer’s hands clenched reflexively and she could feel the weight of the Zippo lighter in her pocket. 

_Stop it, Swan. Enough. You’ve got yourself under control. You’re in control. You’re in control._ She tried to force herself to relax but her hands felt empty and she wished she had something to fidget with. 

“Your food will be right out, Spence.” Ruby called over her shoulder at her and Spencer could only nod. The man beside her drained his beer glass.

“Great. So we’ve got some sicko in town who gets off on starting fires.” He laughed without any humour. 

“Is that true?” Someone else from the closest table to the bar chimed in to the conversation. 

“Sure is!” The woman beside the red-head jumped in. “Just heard it from Archie who heard it from Graham!”

_God, don’t these people ever stop?_ “Ruby? Can I get that order to go?”

“Sure thing. Rather eat and watch some TV at home?” Ruby tried to carry on a conversation while fixing a plate and listening to the gossip spreading like wildfire. 

“Yeah.” Spencer forced a relaxed smile. “I’ve just started watching Wynonna Earp.” 

“Let me know if it’s good.” Ruby winked. “Food’ll be out in one second.”

Archie was clearly trying to forestall the gossip but the entire diner was talking about how Storybrooke now had a pyromaniac. 

_That isn’t what he said for Christ sakes! What is it with this town and gossip? It was just one little fire._ Spencer mentally shook herself. _Stop it, Swan. Don’t think like that._

She did her best to block out the loud conversations around her but inwardly she was screaming. _You don’t know anything about it so stop talking about it like you do! Stop it, Swan, you’re in control. You’re in control. Although…they might not know what they’re talking about but if it really wasn’t an accident…that means someone actually did set the fire…_

Ruby placed the bag of food down in front of Spencer with a smile. “Here you go, blondie.”

Spencer handed over a twenty and waved off Ruby getting her any change. _I just want to get out of here._ “Enjoy your night, Ruby. This is crazy.”

“Day in the life.” Ruby waved her off. “Although not every day we have an arsonist to gossip about.”

_My days might break your average on that one._ Spencer waved goodbye to Ruby and hit the streets at a jog.

_Stop it, Swan. Right now. You’re in control. You’re in control. This is ridiculous. You didn’t set this fire. You didn’t do it._

She picked up her pace a little.

_Right?_

**

Emma adjusted her coat and smoothed down her shirt once more before knocking gently on the mansion door. She was wearing simple black jeans, even if they were skin tight, and grey boots that matched the dark grey button up dress shirt she had on. She had traded in her red leather jacket for a black, wool trench coat that just reached the back of her knees. 

She had sent Ashley home from their run with instructions to tell Regina to dress casually and not to wear heels. _Not sure how she’s going to feel about that one._

The mansion door finally opened and Emma arched an eyebrow at the smirking, younger, brunette. 

“Do I have to give you a lecture about getting her home on time?” Ashley sassed. 

“I think I can remember her curfew.” Emma shook her head laughing lightly. Ashley stepped back and allowed her into the entranceway. 

“Good. She said she’d be right down.”

“And I am.”

Both Emma and Ashley glanced up where Regina was coming down the stairs. _Why do I feel like I’m picking someone up for prom? I didn’t even go to prom._ Regina was wearing black dress pants and dark blue ankle boots with a heel only an inch high. Emma trailed her eyes upwards, over her red cashmere sweater and black Burberry coat, to the faint smile lingering around her lips. Her hair was lightly mussed and curled slightly and Emma already ached to weave her fingers through brunette locks. 

“I can see I’ve been forgotten.” Ashley muttered and Emma lightly smacked her shoulder without looking. “Have fun.” Ashley retreated up the stairs and Emma watched Regina as every step brought her closer.

“You look beautiful.” Emma stated simply; it was a fact. The woman was always beautiful. 

Regina ducked her head like she did when she didn’t want someone to see her smiling. “You look quite charming yourself.” Regina said lightly and Emma was pleased when she looked up so she could see brown eyes again. 

“Thank you. Shall we?”

Regina followed her outside and Emma could hear the smile in her voice without looking. “We’re going in your deathtrap?” 

“We are indeed.” Emma opened the door with a gallant bow. “She only breaks down every other trip, so we should be good.”

Regina shook her head but dutifully sat in the yellow Volkswagen. _I cleaned it out for her and everything, so she should be happy._ Emma practically jogged around the car and soon the couple were speeding down Main Street and passing the town line. “We’re heading out of Storybrooke.” Regina commented lightly as she watched out the window.

“We are indeed. You didn’t think I’d take you to somewhere in town. It’s _your_ town Regina. That’s not much of a date.”

“I’d have been happy anywhere.”

Emma glanced over quickly but Regina had already turned her face away to hide the blush. Emma made a mental note to make the woman blush again during the night. “I’m just happy I asked you.”

“As am I. I have to ask though, you originally thought it would be a bad idea? Isn’t this what you were talking about? The kids thought it would be a good idea and you didn’t?”

_Fuck. God Swan, don’t lie more than you have to._ “Yes, I did think this would originally be a bad idea. I umm,” _God do I have to be_ that _truthful_ , “well, it’s been a while since I’ve dated. Like. A long time.” She could feel Regina’s curious arched eyebrow beside her even though she didn’t take her eyes off the road and Emma sighed. “Like, 15 years long time.” 

Regina wasn’t a slow woman. “Spencer.”

“Yeah. When everything happened, I mean I was eighteen and suddenly like a single parent. Where was dating supposed to fit in between finishing school and finding work and not screwing up trying to parent? It just wasn’t happening.” Emma actually laughed. “And then, I mean we move a lot and I’m all Spencer has in this world. Dating was just such an easy thing to put off, and put aside, and forget about.”

“I’m a single parent too, you know. I haven’t dated since Henry was born.” Regina said softly. Emma shot her a grateful smile. 

“So you get it. I didn’t think _you_ were a bad idea. Just…dating. But then you said maybe it was time to start making different choices and I realized I really wanted to be here with you.” _Was that too cheesy?_

“Right here as in inside your deathtrap of a vehicle driving in rural Maine?”

“Exactly. And this car is not as bad as you seem to think. Old Yeller has driven pretty much across the country.”

Regina barked out a laugh at the name. “Old Yeller? Because it should be taken out back and sold for parts?”

“Hey now! She’s sensitive,” Emma teased, “don’t let her hear you cause she’ll break down on purpose.” Emma stroked the dashboard lovingly and that was where Regina seemed to draw the line because she shook her head chuckling. 

“So. Where exactly are you taking me?”

Emma blamed Spencer for the several different romantic and cheesy lines that sprang to mind in response. _Wait and see. On an adventure. To the place of your dreams._ “Somewhere horrible.”

Regina blinked. “What?”

“Yeah. Someplace horrible. This is an awful date. Really I don’t know what I was thinking. Picture the worst thing you can imagine and that’s where we’re going.”

Regina actually snickered. “So you’re…taking me to the dentist to get a root canal?”

Emma grinned. _She’s quick._ “Actually we’re going to zoo but only to clean out the feces from the rhino enclosures.”

“Oh thank god. I thought maybe we were going to a gynecologist for an invasive procedure.”

“I’m sensing a theme with you?” Emma arched an eyebrow. “You don’t like medical procedures. Too bad we’re going to the hospital just to sit in the waiting room for five hours.” 

“That is awful. But at least we’re not going to a retirement community to volunteer giving the sponge baths.” 

“Ah man, that’s so much more awful than what I’ve got planned, now you’re going to be disappointed.” 

“I shall have to see when we get there, and give my opinion on the awfulness levels, of course.”

“Well good. Cause we’re here.” Emma put the car in park and watched Regina’s face; she knew the exact second that she registered where they were. Her eyes had brightened and she was unable to stop the small hitch in her breathing as a smile grew slowly across her lips. 

“You…you brought me to an apple orchard?” 

“I did.” Emma’s grin was bashful. _And Spencer thought I didn’t know what I was doing._ Regina couldn’t stop flicking her eyes between Emma and the apple orchard she could just see passed the building outside. “I mean, I know it’s not root canals or sponge baths, but do you wanna actually get out of the car and check it out?”

Now Regina’s grin was bashful. “Please.” 

Emma hurried out so she could open Regina’s car door and, not knowing what to do with her hands, she jammed them in her coat pockets. “This place is called Applewood Orchard and Winery. From what I understand, the orchard and the other fields are out this way,” she gestured to what she could see, “and then the Winery is out back somewhere over there, and this is the restaurant here.” Emma tried to keep her cool when Regina slipped her hand into the crook of Emma’s elbow and linked them together. 

They walked together to the front entrance and Emma quickly handed over a card to pay the entrance fee. “Welcome to Applewood Orchards and Winery.” The woman smiled and accepted Emma’s card. “This evening you’ll have unrestricted access to our Orchards, farm and kid’s zone off to my left here. You can pick up your complementary basket at the beginning of the orchard field and pick your own apples. When you head into the restaurant the hostess will take your apples and any dessert you order tonight will be made with fruit you picked yourself. Additional baskets are five dollars, and please stop at our Winery before you leave.” She smiled wide and Emma nodded. 

“You hear that, Madam Mayor? They’re putting you to work tonight and you have to scavenge for your own dessert.”

“However will we manage?” Regina sassed. 

Emma split her time watching the scenery and watching Regina watch the scenery; both were unquestionably beautiful. Applewood’s orchards went nearly as far as the eye could see and they walked down a quaint cobblestone path that led to the first row of apple trees. “So what’s your favourite kind of apple?”

“The Honeycrisp.” Regina’s answer was prompt. “It’s the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees, you know.” 

“Yeah it can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing.” Emma smirked when Regina whipped her head around. 

“How did you know that?”

Emma pointed out the plaque at the start of the row off trees they had just made it to. “I read it off the information card.” She teased; Regina blushed. _Yes! Mission accomplished. Oh my god she’s so cute._ “Do you want to pick these ones?”

“I actually have a Honeycrisp tree, I’ve had one pretty much since childhood. I bake with these apples all the time.”

“Want to try for a different type then?” Regina nodded and Emma led the way down between the rows of trees. Emma wasn’t sure if the row was any narrower, or it was because they were now walking on grass, but Regina was walking closer to her. Both of Regina’s arms were practically wrapped around Emma’s left and her chin and cheek brushed the shoulder of her coat with each step. _Relax, Swan. You can walk with the pretty girl without blowing it._ “These ones look pretty good. This row says it’s Granny Smiths, and these ones are Braeburns.” _Never even heard of that one._

“They do look good. Some of each?”

“Perfect.” Emma swiped a small wicker basket from underneath the plaque explaining about Braeburn apples. “Did you know that Braeburn apples offer a spicy-sweet flavour and they are great for baking because they hold their shape throughout cooking?”

“I did not.” Regina hummed. Emma only watched her as she examined the trees closely and finally decided on one to reach into the branches of. “Are you going to bring that basket here?”

_Whoops._ Emma blushed to have been caught daydreaming. _Watching a woman stretch upwards should not be such a turn on but fuck me, it is._ She saw the older brunette preen that she had completely distracted the blonde. Emma cleared her throat and brought the basket over so Regina could delicately set her apples down. They half filled their basket before moving rows over to the green Granny Smiths. 

“Hmm. I’d like that apple.” Regina pointed and Emma squinted through the branches. 

“Which one?”

“That one. Right there.”

Emma swivelled a deadpanned look over to the brunette. “You mean that one apple directly at the top of this tree that looks exactly the same as all the other apples elsewhere on this tree?”

“Mhmm.”

The blonde blinked. “You trying to play me?”

“Would I do that?” 

_God lord sometimes those two brunettes sound similar._ Emma sighed. “You know if Spencer were here she’d be squealing right now and I’d be trying to her that this isn’t a cheesy rom-com, right?”

“What?” Regina’s look was devious. “I just asked you to pick me an apple?” 

They locked eyes, brown on emerald, and stared each other down; Emma broke first. With a long suffering sigh she gently sat the basket down on the grass and then stripped out of her coat and held it out for Regina to hold. _I cannot believe I just caved. This woman, I swear._ Emma reached for the first branch at head height and hosted herself up easily. Now that her feet were off the ground Regina seemed to shift uneasily. “Do be careful, though, Ms. Swan.”

“You can’t Ms. Swan me when I’m climbing a tree for you, Madam Mayor.” Emma called down. The tree wasn’t altogether that big and once she had her feet firmly on a branch she pulled herself higher pretty much only using her arms fairly easily. “This one?” It was harder to see now that she was actually in the tree and she called down to the brunette. 

“No, one to the left.”

“This one?”

“No, back towards me a little.”

“Regina.” Emma warned even though she couldn’t stop smiling. “This one?”

“That one is perfect.”

Emma rolled her eyes and plucked the fruit from the tree. Making her way back down with only one hand was slightly more difficult so when she was back in the lower branches she just jumped it. She heard Regina’s gasp when she was airborne and the brunette took an automatic step back when Emma landed; the blonde flexed her legs and bent her knees to absorb the impact and stood back up straight to present the apple with a smile. “For you.” 

“Thank you.” Regina was twisting the ring on her middle finger aimlessly as she smiled shyly.

_Oh thank god you didn’t screw that up, Swan. Oh that would have been the one time you landed on your face._

With the final apple added to the basket Emma hung the handle on her forearm while offering the other arm to Regina. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” 

They had just barely made it back to the cobblestone path when Emma veered to the right and, linked together, yanked Regina along with her. “What on earth?”

“C’mon Regina! There’s a hedge maze.”

“I believe that maze is for children, Ms. Swan.” Regina teased.

Emma didn’t even blink. “We’re doing it.” Regina put up no more protests and together they stepped into the maze. The hedges were almost 7 feet and full-bodied as well as studiously maintained. Emma pulled Regina even closer so that the shorter woman was practically tucked into her side. “With any luck we’ll get lost for days.”

Regina huffed. “I don’t know about days. I assume we’re supposed to find that.” She was pointing at a large apple tree. It wasn’t the smaller variety that were closely cropped in the orchard. This was an old, 30 foot tall apple tree that had clearly stood on this property longer than the orchard had been around. 

They strolled together in silence, passing running children once or twice, and Emma kept a hand on both Regina and their basket of apples. _What did Spencer say? Something about romantic walks on the beach?_

The maze wasn’t overly complicated and within ten minutes of idly walking they found themselves at the base of the ancient tree. A few benches made from split logs and a picnic table were spread out and it was a nice place to stop for a moment. Regina unlinked their arms to walk to the base of the tree. Emma watched, utterly captivated, as she trailed elegant fingers down the bark. “Emma.”

“Hmm?” She caught Regina’s mischievous smirk. “What?”

“Come here.” 

Emma stepped up beside her. “Oh come on, you’ve got to be kidding me. No way, Regina. Nuh uh.”

Carved into the bark of the tree were hundreds of initials and names. Everything from _Joey was here_ to _Leera and Adena forever_ and _S.T + O.S =_ and then a crudely carved heart. Emma glanced up and Regina was giving her a coy smile. “No way, Regina. This is like insurmountable amounts of cheese. Spencer will never let me live this down. Nope. I won’t do it.” Brown eyes once again stared into emerald. 

_Why do I even try?_

Emma groaned and gently set the basket of apples down and retrieved her keys from her coat pocket. She opened up one of the saw blades on her utility knife and set it against the tree. 

“No, not there. Here.” Regina pointed out another spot. Emma gave her a deadpanned look and Regina gave an innocent smile. _Just give in, Swan. Stop pretending you won’t._

Five minutes later they exited the maze, arm in arm, with Regina’s head tucked down onto Emma’s shoulder. They left an _SQ_ surrounded by a heart behind on the apple tree.

** 

“Alright little dude, chicken is in the oven and spaghetti sauce is simmering, did you taste it?”

“Yeah. I think it could still use a little something.” Henry was standing on a step stool and cautiously stirring the mixture.

“Whatever you think, dude, hit the spice rack. Just remember,”

“Small amounts at a time and always taste in between.”

“You got it.” _God when did Regina teach me that?_ She stripped off her oven mitts and set the timer on the clock. “What cheese will you want for your topping? Parmesan?” 

“Is that the smelly cheese that tastes good?”

“It is indeed.” Ashley stuck her head into the fridge and starting rooting around. “That the one you want?”

“Sure!”

“Aye aye captain.” 

Henry giggled. “If I’m the captain does that make you first mate? Or are you the navigator?” 

“Uh, not the navigator. My sense of direction is terrible.” She was into Regina’s pristinely organized drawers now and pulling out the cheese grater. “Sauce fixed?”

“Yup! I added some more Italian seasoning and oregano and then some red pepper flakes to-”

“Give it some kick.” Ashley said along with him and they both chuckled. “Good okay. Put the lid back on then and let it simmer.” 

“Aye matey!” Henry jumped down from his step stool after and then ran into the dining room. Ashley could hear him skidding around on socked feet but as she didn’t hear a crash she assumed he was alright. “I almost forgot. I got something for you.”

“For me?” Ashley wiped her hands off on a dry dish rag and accepted the gift when Henry came skidding back into the room with it. “A comic book?”

“Yeah!” 

Ashley eyed the cover with a surprised eye. _Is this even appropriate for Henry?_ The cover featured three beautiful women. One was dressed in a black leather catsuit and holding a whip, one was dressed in a skin tight black and red jumpsuit, and the third was practically naked although green skinned and red-haired. _This makes it seem like Henry actually knows I’m a lesbian…and knows what that means._ Her eye finally caught the title. “Gotham City Sirens?”

“Yeah!” Henry was so excited he almost vibrated. “So you know Gotham City is where Batman lives, right? Well this comic series is about three of the most famous female villains.” He pointed them out on the cover. “That’s Catwoman, and that’s Harley Quinn, and that’s Poison Ivy.”

Ashley nodded along. “Yeah, I think I recognize the names, little dude.”

“See in this one, Batman isn’t the hero, and it’s not about him. These three are supposedly villains in the other comics but in this one they’re the heroes.” He was smiling up at her so earnestly and happily that Ashley could do nothing but grin back. 

“Hen. Did you buy this with your comic allowance money?”

“Mhmm.” He nodded like he was unsure of why she’d even asked. 

_A book about women who everyone else thinks are villains and they get a chance to be the hero. Oh Henry, of course you did._ Ashley ran her fingers lightly over the comic book and was about to open it when the doorbell rang. 

“Hold my book and stir the sauce but be very careful.” She handed it over and walked for the front door. Not many people called on the Mayor’s house and Ashley was scowling long before she opened the door. 

The tall, awkwardly shifting athlete on the other side brought her up short. “Aiden.” It was almost a whisper. 

“Hey. Ash.”

“Hey. Um. Sorry, come in?”

“Yeah. Just for a second.” 

Ashley didn’t care less that she was wearing flannel pajama pants and a baggy hoody and one of Regina’s aprons; Aiden had seen her much worse. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment and Ashley hated it. This was Aiden; her best friend. The only one who had ever always had her back. _God, and you stabbed him in his. Almost literally._

“Aiden I’m-”

“Ashley I just-”

They both chuckled awkwardly. “Me first?” Ashley forced herself to look up at him. “Aiden, I’m,” _Come on Davies, do something that will make Emma and Spencer proud,_ “I’m really sorry, man.”

Aiden was surprised. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever actually said that. What happened to Ashley Davies doesn’t apologize?”

“Ashley Davies can be a bitch.” 

Aiden chuckled. “Well. I was being mean too. I should have listened to you earlier.”

Now that the apologies were, hopefully, all over with Ashley was content to brush the whole thing off. “All good dude, whatever.” _I gotta know though…_ “So um, what made you finally come over here?”

Aiden awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. “Um. Spencer.”

_No way, she didn’t… did she?_

He must have seen the surprise in her eyes. “I mean, she didn’t like, tell me to come over or forgive you or anything. She wouldn’t do that. But, we’ve been talking a lot and she’d just mention you. Say that you were trying to do homework, or that you’d taken to running with her sister or whatever. I think she was just…nudging. Or something.”

_Oh that girl. Oh Spencer. I don’t deserve you._

“Yeah, she’s something.” Ashley cleared her throat. “You were right. The next day I was grateful you got her home safely.” 

“Yeah.”

“Um. You want to come in and have some dinner? It’s just Henry and I, we’re making chicken parm.” 

Aiden’s eyebrows rose. “Just you and Henry? I’m just surprised.” He continued at Ashley’s look. “You haven’t really hung out with Henry in a long time.”

Aiden’s words felt like a punch even though Ashley knew he hadn’t meant them that way. _God you should be thankful that boy still looks at you like you’re his hero. Or apparently, a villain trying to be a hero._ “Yeah. It was long overdue.”

“I’ll let you get back to it then, Ash. But I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Sure.” It felt a little stilted but he gave her a genuine smile and his blue eyes weren’t clouded in anger and Ashley felt like a crack in her chest was starting to heal. When Aiden closed the door behind him Ashley hurried back to the kitchen to find Henry with everything well in hand. “Alright little dude, let’s get some pasta boiling. Grab me the medium sized pot.” 

A flash of colour on the table caught her eye and she saw her comic book opened to the first page. “How do you read these, Hen?”

“It’s easy!” He darted forward and accidently hit the back of her leg with the pot. “Whoops. Okay, the first page is usually a full page picture, it’s called a splash page. These text boxes here are either the captions from the narrator or if there’s only one character on the page it’s sometimes their thoughts too.” The image was dark, mostly black and blue, and showed the Catwoman in her leather catsuit upside down and balancing on one hand on top of a stone gargoyle. Henry gingerly turned the page. “So this style of comic you read like you would a book. So each box is called a panel, and the top left corner panel starts the page. Then you move to the next one on the right, and when you move down to the next row you start at the left again.” Ashley trailed her eyes over the images. She thought the drawings were intriguing. On some panels the detail on the character and what they were doing was remarkable for such a small picture, and then in others sometimes the backgrounds were little more than a few lines and colours. 

“And the speech bubbles?”

“You read them top to bottom or left to right. If there’s two at the same height, the left goes first. Or if there’s two on the same side of the panel, the top one first.” He beamed at her and Ashley knew it was because she was taking this seriously. She asked Henry to carefully peak in at their food and flipped a few more pages. Once Poison Ivy joined the story there was more colour in the pages and Ashley followed a few conversations. 

“It’s really just another way to tell a story, isn’t it?”

“Yup!”

_Hold the fucking phone._ “Henry, would you consider this kinda like art?” She knew instantly her question offended her young cousin by how his face scrunched up. 

“Comic book sales right now are higher than they’ve been in twenty years!” Henry informed her in an outraged voice that made her hide a smile behind her hand.

“Okay. Okay.” Ashley held her hands. “I was just asking. I just figure, this is like a different medium of art, right?”

“Right.”

Ashley gave a devilish smile. _This could work._ “Hey Hen. After dinner, how about me and you make our own comic book?”

**  
_You are in control. You are in control. You are in control._

But the pacing Spencer was doing around the house was contradicting her inner mantra. She knew in these circumstances she was supposed to call Emma and she had picked up her cell-phone half a dozen times but she always put it back down before she dialed. She had championed her sister for this date and she was loathe to call Emma and make her bail; and she knew without question Emma would bail. As much as the older blonde liked Regina if Spencer said the words _out of control_ Emma would race for her without question. 

_You can pull yourself together, Swan, Jesus. You’re in control. You’re in control._

Spencer let out a frustrated groan and did another lap of the kitchen. _Be serious, you didn’t light that fire. It wasn’t you. It couldn’t have been. You haven’t had a black out or missed time in three years. You didn’t set that fire. You didn’t set that fire. You didn’t set that particular fire anyway._

The blonde’s fingers longed to close around her Zippo lighter, just the feeling of it in her hand kept her calmer and more in control; but if she was already out of control than it was dangerous in her hands as well. The metal of the Zippo glinted on the kitchen counter where she’d placed it as soon as she’d gotten inside. 

Spencer tried to focus on all of her teachings. Emma had taught her everything about meditation and control that there was to know and Spencer had become an expert at a young age. _So pull yourself together._ She tried breathing in through her nose to a count of seven and breathing out through her mouth to a count of seven but she was still too anxious and her lungs weren’t cooperating. _Swan. Seriously, calm down. If you fuck this up you and Emma will be moving again by the end of the week. And you do not want to move from here._ When a certain brunette filled her mind Spencer almost whimpered. _Oh Ashley._ Spencer forced a deep breath. _I cannot abandon Ashley right now. I can’t leave her._

_I don’t want to leave her._

She forced another slow, deep breath. And then another. 

_Good. Keep going. In and out. That’s it._ She could practically hear Emma’s voice in her head. She made herself stop pacing and she took a seat right in the middle of the living room. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself further. 

_“Spencer, oh my god, Spence, what is this?”_

_The younger blonde looked up guiltily in surprise. She tried to hide the little bundle in front of her but Emma had clearly already seen it._

_“Is that drugs?” Emma was doing the whisper yell that she did when she wanted to yell but knew better because loud voices attract attention; and attracting attention in this place was always a bad thing. “Let me see, right now.”_

_“No drugs. It’s not drugs.” Spencer almost whimpered. Both blondes knew that Spencer probably could find drugs in this house if she wanted to. Emma crouched down and moved her hands so she could see what Spencer had been doing. She had a folded over square of tin foil flat on the carpet and the centre of it was full of paper thin black ashes. Spencer watched Emma’s eye take in the small ripped pieces of newspaper and the stolen blue Bic lighter._

_“You’re setting fires?”_

Spencer forced her eyes back open. “That was a long time ago.” She whispered. “You’re in control now. You’re in control.” She stood and walked directly for the lighter. The second it was in her hands the knot in her stomach loosened and the crackle of anxiety that had been tingling down her spine lessened. The lighter felt good in her hand. 

Like it belonged there. 

_You’re in control. It’s not in control of you. You’re in control. It’s not in control of you._ She flicked open the top of the top of the lighter and with it she exhaled slowly and calmly. _You’re in control. It’s not in control of you._ It snapped shut again. 

She knew she would still need to talk to Emma. The elder blonde would undoubtedly, thanks to this town. hear about the fire probably sooner rather than later. It would be better for everyone involved if Emma heard the information from Spencer first. She would explain that it wasn’t her, that she couldn’t have done it. _And if I minimize this little slip then so be it. I cannot risk Emma moving us away already._

The lighter snapped open again. Almost without thought Spencer lifted her thumb and struck the flint wheel; flame erupted and blue eyes locked onto the flickering spectre. A small smile played gently around her lips. 

_How do some people not see how beautiful that is?_ The fingers of her free hand came up to play in the flame gently. The heat didn’t burn her; it caressed her. She allowed herself only a minute of pleasure before snapping the lid shut.

_I am in control. I am in control._ At least now she actually believed it. 

She moved to her bedroom quickly and changed into running gear. She and Emma had used working out as a coping method for as long as she could remember. It was actually a proven technique to help with impulse control. She would go for a run and then do her yoga; she always needed the calming influence before sleep anyway.

It took less than three minutes for Spencer to get ready, head out the front after steadying the vase by the door, and start jogging down the street. The Zippo was clenched in her hand but she felt soothed and calm; back in control and back to normal. It wasn’t until she was running down Main Street that another thought occurred to her. 

_If I didn’t set that fire then who the fuck did?_

**

When they stepped inside the restaurant a cheerful hostess accepted the basket of apples from Emma and then directed them to their seat across the dining hall. The restaurant was tasteful and beautiful. Dark mahogany wooden tables were spread throughout the floor, not crammed in, and they were naturalistically stunning without table clothes and only simple candle accents. Two of the outer walls of the room were almost completely floor to ceiling glass and the though the sun had almost completely waned by now natural light still filtered in the room and matched the soft mood lighting. 

Regina and Emma were sat at a quaint table near the back corner and they had a beautiful view of the orchards and also the large barn like building at the back that housed the winery. The hostess assured them their server would be right over as they took their seats opposite each other. 

“This is nice.” Emma commented as she glanced around.

Regina held back an affectionate grin at the blonde’s shy nervousness. She hid it behind bravado and humor but Regina knew she had been nervous about this date. “It’s beautiful. And I’ve had such a lovely time already, Emma.” The blonde grinned but said nothing at the appearance of their waiter. 

“Good evening ladies, my name is Paul, I’ll be your server this evening. Here are your menus. As you can see the desserts are actually on the front page as it’s customary to order your dessert first so that our chefs have time to prepare your dish from scratch with your own apples.” 

Regina scanned the long list of apple based desserts but made her decision almost instantly at the sight of one in particular. “I’ll have the rustic caramel apple tart.”

“Excellent choice. And for yourself?”

Emma seemed to need a little more debate and after opening and closing her mouth a few times, _which is kind of adorable_ , she finally answered him. “And I’ll go with the German apple cake.”

“Lovely selection. I’ll go get the chefs making your desserts right away and leave you a moment to peruse our wine menu. Everything on the first three pages is made here in house from our own fruits and we encourage sampling glasses and tasters of our own wines.” 

Regina nodded politely as he backed away from the table. She smirked at the blonde. “Was dessert a tough choice?”

Emma snickered. “I’d have eaten any one of them, honestly. So. I have a proposition.”

An eyebrow automatically arched. “Oh?” _And just what are you thinking Ms. Swan?_

The blonde seemed to read her inner musings and smirked. “An innocent proposition. We’ve both been so good about our phones and wanting to seem attentive, so why don’t we just agree now to take a second and check our phones, check in with the kids and make sure everything’s fine to put our minds at ease, and then we can enjoy dinner?”

Warmth infused Regina’s entire body. _The reason I’ve never dated is because I didn’t think anybody could truly understand._ Regina blinked back the emotion from her face but she doubted she could completely hide from Emma. _The kids would say I’m sending heart eyes right now._ Both women pulled out their phones and sent quick text messages to check in. “Everything alright over there?” 

“Yup.” Emma smiled. “Spencer said she was bored and went for a run and was maybe going to try and find Aiden. Yours?”

“Both at home, safe and sound. Ashley said she was attending a comic book workshop, whatever that means.” Regina noticed Emma’s proud smile.

“It means she found a medium.” When Regina cocked an eyebrow Emma just knowingly smirked and reached for the wine menu. “I’ll let Ashley tell you all about it.”

Paul returned a moment later and asked for their selections. “I’ll have a glass of your Sweet Peach White, please.” Emma seemed more decisive about her wine than her dessert. Regina smiled faintly at the thought of the tough, tattooed Bounty Hunter delicately drinking sweet and fruity white wine.

“And I’ll have a glass of your Apple Black Current Red, please and thank you.”

“Excellent choice ladies. I’ll bring those right over.”

Emma grinned over the menu a minute later. “Please tell me we’re not about to do that thing where we order for the other person to see how well we know them?”

“Please.” Regina scoffed. “And end up with the fattiest thing on the menu, like those beer brined pork chops or those cider glazed sausages? I think not.”

The blonde only smirked. “Good. Because I didn’t want to end up eating those turkey and apple salad wraps or the shrimp and apple salad.”

“Because that would be such a terrible thing for your cholesterol to have a break for one evening?”

“It would be a terrible thing to be in such a beautiful restaurant and think the food was bad.” Emma retorted. When Paul arrived a minute later to drop off their wine glasses they were still smirking at each other.

“Are you ladies ready to order?”

Regina trailed her fingertips over her wine glass lightly and handed him the menu with her other hand. “Yes, I’ll have the Sesame Shrimp and Apple Salad, please.” She saw Emma’s smirk grow. 

“And I’ll have the Beer-brined Pork Chops with Roasted Apples.”

Regina raised her glass to her lips so stop from laughing out loud in front of Paul. 

“Very good, ladies. Your food will be out shortly.”

Brown eyes were locked onto emerald and they both sipped their wine and enjoyed the connection. “Tonight has been so lovely, Emma.” Regina couldn't seem to stop saying it.

“I’m glad.” 

Regina could see the genuine relief in Emma’s eyes, though she hid it well, and Regina was charmed by it. “So, may I ask you a question?”

“Yellow, Kill Bill, grilled cheese, Moose Tracks and martial arts.”

Regina blinked. “What?”

“Well, you wanted to ask me a question. Figured I should get the usual first date ones out of the way.”

“Ah.” _Cute._ “So favourite colour, movie, food, ice cream and…hobby?” Regina smiled when Emma nodded. “In that case, purple, Jane Eyre, apples, twist and gardening.” 

“Hmm let’s see. Favourite colour, movie, food, favourite…dance move?” Regina completely unbidden let out a bark of laughter and Emma chuckled at herself. “And favourite hobby.”

“Close. Jane Eyre is actually my favourite book, not movie, and by twist I meant soft serve ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate twisted together.” Regina lightly circled her wine glass with one fingertip again. “My actual favourite dance is the samba.”

“Ah. In that case, remind me _never_ to take you dancing. Like ever.” Emma was deadpanned and Regina grinned. 

“Couldn’t handle it?” Regina made a point to lightly bite her lower lip.

Emma cleared her throat. “Not even one little bit. No.” The blonde took a sip of her wine and gestured with her hand. “Sorry, what were you actually going to ask?”

“It was about your tattoos, actually. Or rather, I suppose tattoo etiquette.”

“Boy, I don’t even know if I know about tattoo etiquette, but you can try me.”

“Just, is it…impolite to ask someone about their tattoos? What they mean or, what they are?”

“Ah. I would say there isn’t really a fast and hard rule about it. I think it depends on the person. If you’re tattooed yourself, for example. I don’t think anyone would really question it if I asked about someone else’s ink. And it depends on your relationship with that person. A first date, for instance,” Emma smiled shyly, “might be an alright time to ask. But a complete stranger might find it a little weird.” She shrugged now. “But who knows. We pay a lot of money to display art on our person, and many people are proud to show off their ink. I guess that’s not very helpful.”

“It helped at least one thing. Emma, may I ask you about your tattoos?”

“You may.”

_Does she look nervous?_ “What do they mean?”

Emma exhaled a laugh. “Oh boy, all sorts of different things. Some good, some bad. Memories, hopes, fears.”

“Fears?” _What on earth is Emma Swan afraid of?_ Regina mentally scanned her memory for what she knew of Emma’s tattoos because they were currently covered. _That snake seems far too prominent to be a fear. What else is there to be afraid of? Swords, books, flags, various symbols. I doubt she’s scared of a chess board._ She almost laughed when she came up with a possibility. “Emma, are you afraid of clowns and dogs?” The deadpanned look was enough of an answer and Regina chuckled. “My my. I did wonder why you had that hideous clown walking that big slobbering dog on your arm."

“Yeah, on the back where I can’t see it.” Emma sassed. “And let’s be clear, I’m not like, terrified or anything. I’m not _scared_ of them. I just have a healthy, moderate caution for both things.”

“Mhmm.” _How does that possibly make her even cuter?_ “I believe you, Emma.”

Whatever Emma’s retort was going to be, and she was positive there was one, it was interrupted by Paul bringing their meals. “Can I get you ladies another glass?”

“Perhaps just one, thank you.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

Regina laughed that Emma had almost already dug in to her meal. “No thank you, it all looks and smells delicious.”

Paul left with a slight bow and Regina tasted her own meal. “They really do know how to use apples here, don’t they?” 

“Sure do. Dessert better be just as good for all the effort I gave getting that very specific apple.”

“If dinner is anything to go by, I’m sure it will be delicious.” Regina politely ate another bite before questioning Emma further. “So, do you have a tattoo for Spencer?” Regina had no doubt she did; nothing meant more to Emma than Spencer. 

“Mhmm.” The blonde rubbed the top of her right shoulder.

“The snake?” _What on earth?_ Emma chuckled and arched an eyebrow. _Way to go, Regina. Don’t give away how much time you’ve spent staring at those tattoos._ Regina picked up her wineglass and hoped Emma wouldn’t comment on it. 

“Yeah, my snake. When Spence was younger she was always hanging off of me. Like wrapped around my leg, around my neck and shoulders, anything. I’d walk around the house and she’d be latched onto my hips. And I know there’s actually a cutesy phrase for that. They’d say she was latched onto me like a,”

“Koala.”

“Right. But, at the same time she had uh,” she cleared her throat and took a sip of wine, “a tooth or two missing. And she basically hissed the S sound. What’s your name, honey? Sssspenccccer.” Emma mocked in a cute child’s voice. “Anyway, my little snake kind of just emerged from there.” 

“I like it.” Regina wondered how many tattoos she could ask the meaning of. _She said some of them were bad._ The brunette was having too good of a time to ruin it by potentially asking about a painful memory so she let the conversation slide. 

When Paul returned to take their empty dishes he was back in under a minute to bring their desserts. Regina was full and delicately took a bite of her apple tart. She moaned a little and noticed emerald eyes watching her intently from over the table. 

“I believe that the tart is good, but don’t do that again.” Emma warned with a smirk. Regina bit her lip again in response.

“How’s the German apple cake?”

“Suddenly not holding my attention as much as it was.”

It was the brunette’s turn to flush and she dipped her eyes back to her dessert. _This woman, I swear._

Their desserts were enjoyed in companionable quiet, filled with shy looks and teasing smiles, and soon Emma was paying the bill easily. “Thank you so much for dinner, Emma. It was truly lovely.”

Emma nodded and grinned. “I try. Would you like to check out the winery before we go?”

Regina huffed. “Perhaps there’s a few more things you need to learn about me.” It was dark out now but the cobblestone path that led to the winery was lit with garden torches and Regina instantly linked her arms back through Emma’s. “I should pick Kathryn up a good bottle. I’m feeling a little bad about the school events.”

“It’s not your fault your town is ancient, Regina.” Emma comforted her as they entered the barn like doors to the winery. “You’re not magical, you can’t make money appear from nowhere. You had to get it and you did it as fairly and professionally as you could.” Regina said nothing, keeping her eye on the well-stocked shelves they were strolling down, until Emma shook her arm lightly. “We’ll save the events, you’ll see. We’ll figure something out.” 

It seemed like the most natural action in the world to tilt her head down and rest it on Emma’s shoulder. “I hope so.”

Even though Regina doubted Ashley liked wine she was trying to keep as little alcohol in the house as she could so she only picked up a dark Apple Cranberry bottle for Kathryn, while Emma got a Spiced Winter Apple wine, and then they were strolling back to the deathtrap. “Have I mentioned that it’s been a lovely evening?” Regina remarked when Emma opened her car door.

“No, you haven’t. You’ve been a terrible date, honestly.” 

Regina’s arched eyebrow when Emma took her own seat was enough to make the blonde snicker. Before she could start the car Regina leaned over and pressed a kiss against Emma’s cheek. She heard the blonde inhale sharply and Regina smiled, lips still gently against smooth skin, before she pulled back and took her own seat with haughty posture. “You’ve been a terrible date too. Simply atrocious. I’d like you to return me to Storybrooke at once.” 

“As you wish, your Majesty.” Came the slightly shuddered reply. _I’ve still got it._ Belaying her words Regina was disappointed when less than a half an hour later they had passed the _Welcome to Storybrooke_ sign and the night was almost over. _God I wish I could invite her in, but Henry and Ashley are at the mansion._ Emma seemed to read her thoughts. “So, would you like to maybe come in to my place for a while? No, um, pretenses or anything. Just to have a glass of this wine, and maybe keep talking?”

Regina smiled at the blonde’s nerves. “I’d love that.” She’s been in the Monroe house but obviously hadn’t seen it since the blondes had moved in. She was actually a little curious to see the blonde’s tastes when it came to decorating. 

Emma parked the car and Regina waited while the blonde did her quick walk around the car to let her out. “Why thank you.”

“Of course.” 

Regina had a fleeting thought of what someone would think if they saw her getting out of Emma’s car and then entering her house but she decided in almost the same breath that she just didn’t care. Emma led her up the driveway and unlocked the door. Regina had only taken one step inside when Emma’s arm suddenly flew up and almost struck her across the torso to stop her from moving. 

“Em- What?”

“Stop.”

Regina did; Emma’s voice was cold and clear.

“My vase.” The words were whispered in that same deadly calm voice. 

“What?” Regina glanced over the arm that blocked her entry from the house. She just caught a glimpse of an end table right beside the door and shattered glass along the entryway. “Oh, that’s unfortu-”

“Regina. Go back to the car.”

The Mayor wasn’t used to getting abrupt orders and bristled. “What?”

“Regina. Someone has been in my house.”

“What?” _What is she talking about? Why does she sound scared?_

“Regina. Someone who wasn’t Spencer or I has been in my house tonight. Now go back to the car.”

Regina stayed right where she was when Emma pushed the front door open further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clowns and dogs. True story. -JJ


	10. Making It Work

Emma was acutely aware of Regina standing at her back when she carefully stepped over the shattered glass in the front doorway. It was like her mind was split in three; a piece with her senses attuned to Regina’s safety, a piece worried about Spencer and a piece furiously listening for any sound inside her home. 

Her home that had just been violated.

All seemed quiet and Emma knew that Spencer wasn’t here. If she had come home to find the broken vase she knew what her orders would be; get somewhere safe and call Emma immediately. And if Spencer had been home when whoever it was tried to break-in then they would have figured out that small blondes aren’t always an easy target. 

“Emma.” Regina hissed quietly at her back. “We should call Graham.”

The blonde almost huffed out loud. _And what’s your rent-a-cop going to do?_ “Just wait.” Emma crept forward carefully and scanned her eyes over the living room and then the kitchen carefully. _Need to check for my gun and then our I.D’s._

She moved stealthily down the dark hallway, up on her toes and barely making a sound, and peeked into the bathroom and both bedrooms. She flicked lights on as she cleared the house and ended with the spare bedroom. 

Regina peered over her shoulder and she could feel the brunette’s confusion at the sparse and padded room. “It’s where we train in martial arts.” Emma whispered to her before sighing. “Whoever it was, they’re no longer here.”

She went back to the front door and Regina followed her again. “How do you even know someone broke in?”

_How the fuck do I explain this? If I don’t want to lie and can’t tell the truth what do I say?_ “In one of our houses Spencer and I had a table right beside the door with a vase on it. And one day we came home and found it broken. We paused at the door and talked about it and that pause saved us, because the people that broke into our house were still in it. And while we hesitated they went out the back and we didn’t end up confronting them directly.” Emma’s hands were clenched into fists. “It just became our, thing, I guess. We keep something right by the door that gets broken if someone other than us walks in the door.” Emma didn’t dare meet Regina’s eye to see if she was believing the story; or if she thought it was weird. She gently put her key back in the front door and tried to turn it; this time because she was paying attention she felt the slight catch in the tumbler. _Fuck_. “Whoever it was they picked the door.” _They probably tried the back door first because it’s not on the street but we have that one bolted shut._

“We need to call Graham.” Regina was reaching for her purse. 

“Wait.” Emma spoke without thinking and realized a second too late it was a mistake. Regina paused with her hand on her phone and an eyebrow arched.

“Excuse me? When your home gets broken into, you call the police, Emma.” Regina’s words weren’t to be mistaken; the _unless you don’t want to call the police for some reason_ was left unsaid. 

_Fuck, Emma, you have to be smarter than this. Say something for Christ sakes_. “Sorry, you’re right of course. I just, Graham and I got off on the wrong foot and it’s been awkward, but yeah. I forgot this town was so small you only had the one officer.” 

Regina nodded after a moment and hit the speed dial on her phone. While she called Emma took out her own cell and called Spencer. 

“Hey Ems.”

“Hey.” She covered the mouthpiece of her phone and whispered Spencer to Regina. The brunette nodded her understanding and Emma took the excuse to walk further back into her house. She quickly moved to her bedroom and half shut the door. 

“Emma?” Spencer’s voice finally registered; it clearly wasn’t the first time her sister had called her name.

“Listen carefully. Our vase is broken. Regina was here with me when I found it. Where are you?”

“Just leaving Aiden’s, can be there in 3 minutes.”

“Make it ten. And mention the broken vase has happened once before.” Emma tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could have the use of her hands.

“Understood. Who was it?”

“I don’t know. We’ll talk later. Are you alright kiddo?” Emma took the time to ask even as she removed the third drawer from her dresser. 

“Yeah, fine.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed and she paused. _Did she just lie to me?_ “Alright kiddo. See you in ten.” She would figure out what was going on when she could see Spencer for herself. Figuring she only had a minute or so before Regina came looking she quickly put her hand into the empty drawer space and felt up on the bottom of the drawer above. Her fingers brushed against the metal of her pistol that was hooked into place against the wood. That was all she needed. She quickly lifted the drawer to put it back in place just as her bedroom drawer was pushed open carefully. 

“Emma?”

The blonde gave a tight smile and gestured to her clothes in the open drawer. “All my drawers have been rifled through.”

Regina’s brown eyes filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry this has happened. That your things have been violated. Did they touch anything in Spencer’s room?”

“I was just going to check that now.”

They walked together across the hall and Emma noticed Regina nod in approval at the cleanliness of Spencer’s room. It took only opening the top drawer of her dresser to see the clothes had been ruffled and moved. “Goddamnit.” Regina placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and Emma felt guilty for soaking up the comfort. _What were you looking for? Money? Drugs? Or worse…were you just looking for us?_ “If you’ll excuse me for one second, I’m just going to go to the bathroom.”

“Of course. Graham will be here any second anyway, I’ll wait for him.” 

“Thanks.”

Emma closed the bathroom door and waited until she heard Regina’s heels walking away before moving. She stepped beside the toilet and carefully lifted the top off the tank; the water was already dyed green. She set the lid down carefully on the floor and rolled up one of her shirt sleeves. She bit back a hiss as she stuck her hand into the ice cold water up to her elbow. Her fingers searched around the bottom until she found the small plastic dye pack and pulled it out. Normally, the dye pack was held out of the water by the small lip in the plastic stuck between the lid and the tank. The second someone lifted the tank the dye pack fell and coloured the water. Even flushing the toilet repeatedly left blatantly obvious green smears.

Emma clenched her teeth. _So, whoever you are, you watched a few movies and saw some other people hide things in the toilet tank and thought it was a great idea, huh? I know you searched my whole house but just what were you looking for?_ Emma threw the plastic pack in the trash and carefully replaced the toilet lid. She flushed it, washed her arm carefully, and finally went out front to meet Regina. 

The Sheriff cruiser had just pulled up and Emma watched the scruffy Irishman step out head towards them. “Mayor Mills. Ms. Swan.”

“Sheriff.” Emma wondered if he was remembering their earlier conversation where she’d questioned his methods and intelligence. “The front door has been picked open, and it appears like all of Spencer’s and my personal belongings have been rifled through.”

“Anything missing?”

“Nothing obvious.” Emma forced herself to keep her calm because Regina was watching their exchange closely. “TV and stereo are still there. We don’t keep anything super valuable in the house.”

“So they were looking for something.” 

_No duh._ “It seems so.”

“I’m going to need you and Spencer to do a more thorough check of all your belongings to see if anything’s missing.” He gave her that boyish smile that grated her nerves. “Do you keep anything else in the house that I should know about?”

Regina stepped forward before Emma could. “Like what, Sheriff? Illegal drugs and weapons? Why don’t you go do your job instead of berating a woman who is the victim here.”

Graham looked completely chastised. “Right away, Mayor Mills.” Emma held back a snicker. _So you really are her guard dog, and sometimes she beats you like one._ She watched from behind as the Sheriff checked out the front door before walking inside. 

_Whoever broke into my house is going to pay for this._

** 

Spencer quickly walked up the pathway, passed the Sheriff’s squad car and flew through the open door. She didn’t give anyone a cursory glance as she walked basically into Emma’s arms. _Fuck why did this have to happen now?_

Emma’s arms came around her and the blonde sisters held each closely. Spencer knew the role she was supposed to be playing with other adults watching them. “Why did our house get broken into? Oh my god how could the vase end up broken again? Is everything still here? Are you okay? Were you here?” Spencer wished that Regina and Graham weren’t standing in the living room watching them because she wanted to have a serious conversation with Emma instead this fake one. 

“Woah, woah, kiddo. Slow down. I’m fine, everything’s fine.” Emma spoke basically into her hair as her face was tucked into the top of Spencer’s head. “So far we can’t find anything missing. We’ll have to do a search of your room too, but I didn’t see anything gone.”

She leaned back just enough to see Emma’s face. “What did they want?” She tied to ask her real question to Emma with her eyes. 

“I don’t know, kiddo.” Emma’s emerald eyes were hard and cold. _Fuck no, I know that look. We can’t move. We can’t._ Spencer tucked her head down into Emma’s chest like she was about to start crying. She could hear the muffled sounds of Regina ordering Graham out of the house to start his investigation. She kept her head down even while Emma reached out a hand to hold Regina’s for a moment. Her sister apologized and Regina quietly brushed her off and told her all she had to do now was take care of Spencer.

They remained quiet for one more beat after Regina shut the front door and the sounds of her heels faded away. 

Spencer finally pulled back. “What was this?”

“I really don’t know.” Emma clenched her teeth. “They search they whole house, even the toilet tank.”

“The gun?”

“Didn’t find it.”

“So they likely weren’t professional.” Spencer was running possibilities in her mind. “Could be punk kids I suppose…”

“But then why not take anything?” Emma finished her thought and gestured into the living room. “Why not take our TV and Blu-Ray? Why not take the bit of jewelry we own? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Someone was looking for something specific.” Spencer paced the living room a little. “And they didn’t find it.”

“Hard to say, but I don’t think so.” Emma pulled a water from the fridge and Spencer guessed it was just so she had something to with her hands. “I don’t like this, Spence. Is it a coincidence that we move here and suddenly there’s a random break in? Regina told me nothing has happened like this before.”

_No! She can’t be thinking like this already._ “It might not be a coincidence but it doesn’t have to be what you’re thinking either.” Spencer tried. She didn’t want to sound desperate because Emma would pick up on that instantly. “It could be something simple. Maybe we’ve made waves since we’ve been here?”

Emma mulled the comment over in her mind. “We might have,” she eventually started, “but I can’t picture those three gossiping hags at Granny’s breaking into our house and rooting through our drawers.” The sigh she gave made her sound thirty years older than she was. “Spence,”

“How was the date?” Spencer threw the words out like a grenade and Emma’s eyes narrowed. 

“Kid, I know wh-”

“Just, answer the question. How was your date with Regina?” Spencer actually stood up to her sister and refused to back down. “Tell me how your date was.” 

For a second she thought Emma wouldn’t do it. “It was kinda perfect okay? There was apple picking and banter and dessert and teasing and pretty much everything you could want from a date. But Spencer, you mean more than Regina does.”

“I’m not in any danger!” _God I hope that’s true._ “Please, Emma. This is the happiest we’ve been living somewhere in ages! You actually went on a date which is like unheard of, and Ashley…Ashley makes me feel something. She makes me happy! She’s…broken, and I know what that feels like. I can’t abandon her now.”

“I don’t want to abandon her either, Spence. Either of them.” Emma voice was passionate. “I do care about them. But I love you. And if I have to leave them to keep you safe, then I will.” 

Spencer knew her sister wasn’t joking. She had seen her sister do incredible things to keep her safe. She had seen her do incredibly _illegal_ things to keep her safe. “How about a compromise?” 

Emma blinked. “I’m not compromising on your safety, not a chance.” 

“Just,” Spencer darted forward and grabbed Emma’s arm, “just a little time. This semester.” Spencer’s heart was racing and her eyes were locked onto Emma. “We’ll figure out who broke into our house,” _and who decided to start setting fires_ , “and that way we can stay in Storybrooke.” She could tell her sister wasn’t swayed. “Please, Emma. _Please_.” Spencer almost cried as she said the words she never thought she would say to her saviour. “Emma, I’m tired of running.” The next words were a whisper. “I don’t want to run anymore.”

Emma looked like she’d been slapped in the face. “Oh, Spence.” She pulled the younger blonde into her arms again; this time the embrace was genuine. “I’m sorry. I said I was sorry about what our lives became.”

“I know.” Spence was speaking directly into Emma’s dress shirt. “I wasn’t lying then. I didn’t care, and didn’t mind. But for the first time…I have a connection with somebody, Emma. Ashley means something to me. I just…want to experience that. Please.”

Spencer knew she was playing dirty. _I’m doing this for Emma’s own good too._ By the sigh Emma gave, and the guilty look in her eye, Spencer knew she had won. _Oh Emma, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Ever._

“Fine, kiddo. But, if anything else happens we are gone. I mean it.”

Relief flooded Spencer’s system and her legs wobbled a little. “Thank you. This is really important to me.”

“I know.” Emma huffed. “That’s why I’m allowing it against my better judgement. This deal is only contingent upon finding out who broke into our house and why. And if anything else happens I have the right to consider our deal null and void.” Spencer tried so hard to keep her face neutral but Emma had been with her for her entire life. Emma was the one who taught her to control her emotions and her face. Emma was a professional Bounty Hunter. “What?” The elder blonde was suspicious. “Has something else happened?”

_I can’t tell her. I can’t. She’ll make us move. We’ll be leaving tonight if I tell her._

Spencer shook her head. “No.”

_Spencer hated the hospital. She hated everything about it. She hated that awful unnatural smell it had. She hated how everything was white and beige. She hated how everyone was either angry or sad and nobody smiled._

_She hitched her backpack higher on her shoulders and tried to figure out where she was. Another thing she hated; how everything looked the same. She hated how there were some doors that looked like you weren’t supposed to be there and there was never enough signs and she never knew where she going. She swore she was on the second floor but then she’d crossed a catwalk and suddenly was on the third floor in a building that was named something different._

_She’d have to ask for help. Something else she hated doing._

_Emma had taught her well and she’d known what she could, and couldn’t, say to adults for years. She waited until she saw a friendly looking nurse and gave the woman a bashful smile. “I’m sorry, but I told my mom that I was just going to the bathroom and then I got all turned and now I’ve wandered and I’m completely lost.”_

_The nurse, a grey haired woman in her fifties, smiled knowingly. “Even we still get lost sometimes, honey. What room are you looking for?”_

_Spencer didn’t want to tell her, but she knew how to hedge. “I’m looking for the burn unit.”_

_“Oh dear, you have gotten quite lost. Okay,” Spencer listened closely while the woman gave directions and then she thanked her before walking away. Emma had taught her that there was a thin line of politeness. Be too rude and people remember you. But be too over the top polite and people remember that too._

_The closer Spencer got to the burn unit the quieter the hospital seemed to become. The young blonde knew the reason; most people with serious burns were put into medically induced comas. Spencer knew everything there was to know about burns. She knew that sometimes second degree burns were the most painful because the nerve endings were all still intact. Sometimes people with the most vicious third degree burns couldn’t actually feel anything at all because their nerve endings had been burnt away._

_She found the room she wanted and took a breath before stepping inside. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t lied none of this would have ever happened. She practically tip-toed inside the room in case she was sleeping. “Emma?”_

“Emma?”

“Hmm?”

“So.” Spencer steeled her nerve. “Something else did happen.”

**

Regina had been glad that Graham had the sense not to immediately jump into his cruiser and drive away because she needed him to drive her to the mansion. The Sheriff had tried to say something to her twice but she had completely ignored him. She wasn’t happy with her Sheriff but she didn’t want to have it out with him when she was still reeling from the unexpected night her perfect date had turned into.

She exited the car practically without a goodbye or a thank you to Graham and headed for the mansion. She was so lost in her recollections that she almost missed the sight before her and had to do a double-take. 

Ashley and Henry were laying on their backs on the couch in the living room reading together. Their heads were both on the middle cushion and their legs propped up on the arm rests. Both were holding books in the air above their faces and they were seemingly content with the quiet. 

_That’s all I ever wanted. All I ever wanted to see._ Regina had to refrain from tearing up a little. 

When she got closer she could see that Henry was holding A Wrinkle in Time and Ashley was reading an old and battered copy of Great Expectations. Two sets of brown eyes left their books and faced her when she approached and her heels clacked on the hardwood. 

“Hi mom!”

“Regina.”

“Kids.” The eldest brunette smiled. “This looks cozy.”

“It’s been great!” Henry exclaimed. He spun his legs around so that he was sitting up and Ashley, albeit more gracefully, did the same. “We made food and Ashley loved the comic book I got her so much that we decided to make our own! It’s awesome! And now I really want to finish this book so we can talk about it.”

“That sounds lovely.” Regina smiled. Her eyes flicked over to Ashley but she was avoiding her gaze by searching around the couch for a bookmark. “Your homework done, Henry?”

“Yup. I did it before dinner.”

“Good boy. Now it’s time to get ready for bed.”

Henry seemingly accepted this decision without argument. He offered a fist to Ashley and she bumped it with her own. “Good night matey.”

“Good night captain.” Ashley smiled. 

Henry scampered out the room and, like it always did now, even the air around the two brunettes felt awkward. “Ah, how was the date?” Regina tried to keep the grin from her face but clearly failed. “Wow, that good huh? Who knew Swan had game?” 

“The date was lovely, thank you for asking.” Every moment of the night seemed to flash before Regina’s eyes. Emma had been perfect. She didn’t try too hard and she was willing to laugh and joke. She’d been so gentle and adoring and the fact that she’d been nervous spoke wonders. _There's also our adorable epitaph permanently carved into the tree there._

“Where did she take you?” Ashley picked up her book but seemed fine hesitating before heading up to her room.

“To a place called Applewood Orchard and Winery. We had a lovely dinner there.” Regina suddenly remembered the bottle of wine in her hand but Ashley paid no attention to it. 

“Damn. She does have game.” Ashley remarked. “You’re home early, in that case.” She waggled her eyebrows and Regina actually laughed.

“Enough of that. I am single parent and the Mayor.”

“So?” 

“So I have class.” Regina sassed. “Besides, there was a, well, an unfortunate incident at the end of the date.”

“God, do I want to know?” The younger brunette teased. 

“Well we returned to Emma’s house and found it had been broken into.”

“ _What?!_ ” Ashley’s entire demeanour changed. “Is Spencer okay? Was Spencer home?” She reached nearly frantically into her sweater pocket for her phone.

Regina carefully put a gentle hand on Ashley’s forearm to still the panicking girl. “Ashley, Ash, Spencer is fine. I promise, I’ve seen her. Spencer is alright.” The worried look in Ashley’s eye stilled Regina’s heat for a second. _How can anyone think that this girl doesn’t care?_ Ashley looked ready to run for her Porsche and Regina rubbed a soothing circle with her thumb. “Spencer wasn’t home, okay?”

“What happened?” Ashley’s voice cracked.

“Spencer was out of the house and someone broke in. Nothing was damaged because they picked the front door lock. Oh except for a vase that they had beside the door.” _A vase that apparently means burglar. And this has happened more than once?_ “Nothing seemed missing but all their drawers had been rooted through.”

A disgusted look crossed Ashley’s, now angry, features. “Who the hell would do that?” Ashley stepped away to pace and Regina let her hand fall off her arm. “What are we doing about it? What is Graham doing?”

“I assure you, everything that can be done is being done. We will figure out what happened.” 

“Does Spencer know?” Ashley softened at the very mention of the younger blonde. _Do I do that with Emma?_

“Yes, she arrived shortly before Graham and I left. She seemed,” Regina didn’t want to set Ashley off again, “a little upset and confused.”

“I should go to her.” Ashley nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to go see her.”

“Ashley, wait.” She trailed after her niece who was already heading for the front door. “Ashley. It’s getting late, and I think Spencer and Emma maybe just want to spend some time together. They have to search the entire house for anything missing. Emma is probably…well, a little protective right now.”

Ashley deflated and Regina groaned inwardly; she had tried not to make the words sound like such a bad thing. “And I’m the last person she’ll want to see right now, you mean.”

“No, Ashley.” Regina made her voice firm. “That is not what I meant. I just meant, she might not want Spencer out of her sight at all right now.” 

“Right. Okay.”

“You should text her. I think Spencer would like to know you’re thinking of her.”

“Yeah. Yeah you’re right. Good night, Regina.”

“Good night.” Regina was loathe to let Ashley walk away so dejected. “Ashley?” The younger brunette paused on the stairs to look over her shoulder. 

“Yeah?”

“Emma adores you. I don’t think it will be long before you regain her trust. We both see how hard you’ve been working.”

“Right.” She smiled lightly. “Thanks.” 

Regina turned all the lights off downstairs and made sure the doors were locked before she headed up to her own bedroom. Finally taking off her boots was the very first thing she did before heading to the window. 

Her bedroom window looked out over Mifflin Street and, currently, it was quiet and still. She leaned against the frame and tried to let some of the stillness infuse her body. _Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights?_ She turned her gaze upwards and almost glared at the heavens. _I go on the most perfect first date and it ends with her home being broken into? Come on._

Regina wasn’t sure how she would be feeling right now if someone had broken into the mansion. If someone had violated her privacy and her belongings. _Emma actually handled things quite well. She could only imagine her own rage if such a thing had occurred. Emma had looked…not scared. Maybe apprehensive a time or two though? I can’t believe everything those two blondes have been through in their lives. Losing their parents, having to stick together, and having their home broken into? Apparently twice?_ Regina couldn’t forget the look in Emma’s eyes, or the tone of her voice, when she’d opened the door to the shattered vase. 

Regina had a small smile flit across her lips when she glanced down at movement from the street. She couldn’t forget the look on Ashley’s face at the mention of Spencer either. She was unsurprised to watch the black Porsche pull out of her driveway and take off down the street. 

_Take care of your blonde, Ashley. Tomorrow I shall take care of mine._

**

_This is a stupid idea. I can’t say it’s the stupidest idea you’ve ever had. But this is bad._

Ashley pulled the car slowly onto Monroe and parked her sports car along the curb. _This is bad. Emma is not going to want to see you right now._

Her hands continued to tremble and she cursed herself as she shook them out. She hadn’t noticed it so bad while she’d been enjoying her night with Henry but the second Regina had mentioned Spencer it was like adrenalin had flooded her system and she’d gone into shock. The thought of Spencer being in trouble had completely floored her; when Regina said seconds later that everything was fine it was like all the adrenalin, and her energy, dissipated away and left her weak-kneed and shaking worse than before. 

The little bungalow style house looked the same from out here and Ashley grit her teeth. _How fucking dare someone break into their house? What were they doing? Rifling through their things and taking the time to sniff their underwear?_

Ashley’s fist met the steering wheel and she growled in frustration. _You can’t go up to the house like this Davies. Emma can’t see you losing it. God you don’t want Spencer to see you losing it._

Part of Ashley wanted to sit in the car for a while longer. Wanted to calm down, to be rational, to show a strong and responsible figure in front of Emma and Spencer. But she was already leaving the car and almost scrambling up the driveway. 

_I just have to see Spencer. I just need to know she’s alright. God if some sick fuck had been rooting around in my drawers I’d want to scream._

She didn’t consider how late it had gotten or what kind of night the blondes had been through. She almost fell into the door and then knocked on it harshly. 

Emma opened the door, wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top, and arched an eyebrow. “Ashley,”

“I just needed to know that Spencer was alright.” Ashley interjected. “I, I respect your rules and the things you’ve said. Um. I don’t take them lightly. And I’m trying so hard. But, I just, you have to let me see Spencer. No! Not have to. That wasn’t an order. Obviously. I can't order you around.” She gave a small laugh even though she thought this was the furthest thing from funny. “I meant, um, please. Can you please let me see Spencer? I just…you know she’s so tough and if I texted she’d say she was fine. But I get it, this was a bad idea. Yeah, this was terrible, I’m sorry.” Ashley was nervously scratching the back of her neck and walking backwards down the driveway before she realized that Emma hadn’t said anything. “Uh. Sorry.”

“Ashley.” 

“Yeah?”

Emma cracked a very small smile. “It has been a very long night, okay? But I know how much Spencer means to you.” Ashley suddenly found herself unable to look away from the emerald eyes staring through her. “And I know what you mean to Spence. So, you’ve got five minutes. Okay?”

“Yes! Yes, yeah, please. Five minutes. Perfect. Thank you.” _God Davies where has literally all of your chill gone?_

Emma pushed the door open and Ashley stepped through into the front hall. She noticed the lack of the vase beside the front door. _Ah shit, I think they really liked that thing too._ Spencer appeared from the kitchen, looking unbelievably soft and adorable in flannel plaid pants just a different colour than her sisters and a big hoody; Ashley realized she had left the house without changing and was wearing sweats herself. 

“Ashley.” The way Spencer said her name made Ashley feel warm. 

“Spencer.”

“I’ll give you two a minute.” Emma murmured. The elder blonde walked by and rubbed Spencer’s arm gently as she headed down the hallway. Now that she was actually here, after having jumped in her car after Regina specifically told her not to, Ashley was a little embarrassed. Her eyes drifted behind Spencer to their kitchen table where five different candles of varying sizes were all lit. 

“You guys having a séance?” 

Spencer looked sheepishly back at the scene. “Something like that. Regina told you about the break-in?”

Ashley instantly refocused on the blonde in front of her. “Yeah. Spence, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad I wasn’t home.”

Ashley’s handed trembled again. _I can’t even think it. Oh my god, this night could have been a thousand times worse._ Spencer must have noticed her shaking because she stepped forward and clasped Ashley’s hands within her own. 

“How are you doing?”

“What?” _Her house gets broken into and her privacy violated and she’s worried about me?_

“Stress, fear, adrenalin rushes. Anything can be hard when you’re trying to change.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “You can say trying to kick a habit, Spence.” The blonde stepped closer and Ashley’s breath suddenly caught in her throat. Spencer was looking at her so open, so earnestly, and with so much _care_. 

“I just want to know you’re okay.”

A hundred things flit through Ashley’s mind to say; so many things she couldn’t actually spit anything out. _I’m a songwriter for Christ sakes! I put words together literally as my life! I can freestyle rap but I can’t answer a question from a pretty girl?_

Spencer saw the struggle and let go of one of Ashley’s hands to reach into her back pocket. “Here. I want you to have something.” She pressed a Zippo lighter into Ashley’s hand. The outside was metal but it was warm to the touch. The casing was plain and slightly tarnished like it definitely wasn’t new. Ashley had seen Spencer with it before but she hadn’t really thought much about it. 

“Your lighter?”

“Open it.” Ashley semi-awkwardly manoeuvered the lighter with one hand and then flicked it open with her thumb. “Close it.” With an arched eyebrow Ashley followed the command. Spencer repeated it. “Open and close. Again. Again.” The blonde let go of Ashley’s hand and smiled lightly at her. “Again.”

Ashley soon found a rhythm and good position in her hand to hold the small, rectangular device while being able to easily open and close it with her thumb. “And why am I doing this?” She snapped it closed again. 

“Because when your hands are busy, they don’t shake.”

Ashley almost dropped the lighter. _Holy fucking shit._

“It’s the repetitive motion. It’s good for things like this.”

“Spencer.” Ashley couldn’t manage to say more than that. _Damnit words stop failing me!_ Spencer didn’t seem to need them. She stepped into Ashley’s space and wrapped her arms around the brunette’s neck. Ashley instantly put her hands to Spencer’s hips and pulled her closer. “Spencer.” This time it was a whisper said almost directly into the blonde’s neck. 

The blonde practically melted into Ashley’s embrace as the brunette girls hands still rest on her hips, thumbs gently pressing into her hipbones, and pulled her closer. They fit together seamlessly, their thighs, hips and breasts coming together naturally as if they’d done it countless times before. Spencer lifted one hand and gripped the back of Ashley’s neck and twisted her fingers into her silky, wild curls. Her other hand slid along Ashley’s arm, gently touching soft cotton the entire way until she reached Ashley’s skin at the side of her neck; she ran her fingernails teasingly up to the skin behind her ear and back down again. 

“Spencer.” Ashley leaned back until she could see the blondes blue eyes; she almost groaned at the desire in them. Ashley moved slowly, so that Spencer could move if she wanted to; the blonde was the one who softly pressed their lips together. Ashley felt like her breathing stopped completely and her heart stuttered before starting again at a faster pace than before. 

Ashley ran her tongue along Spencer’s bottom lip and the blonde deepened the kiss instantly, sliding her tongue into Ashley’s mouth and teasingly stroking Ashley’s tongue. Ashley took a small step backwards, bringing Spencer with her by the grip she had on her hips, and leaned back so that the closed front door was supporting her; the blonde was pulled slightly off balance and they pressed closer never once breaking their kiss. Ashley had never been more turned on by just a kiss in her life. The pulse between her legs was already throbbing incessantly and her mind was already hazy; there was nothing except Spencer.

Ashley shifted one of her hands as she ever so gently moved the hem of the blonde’s shirt and then slipped inside searching for skin. Ashley thought her skin must be on fire because between them her hand, now holding Spencer possessively against her lower back, was searing hot. Ashley moved her fingertips in slow, aimless circles across the bare, smooth skin of Spencer’s back and loved how Spencer moved tighter and tighter against her. 

The brunette delighted at Spencer’s small whine and then couldn’t hold back her own moan as the blonde shifted her hips slightly and pressed one of her thighs between Ashley’s legs. Ashley made a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl deep in her throat and tightened her fingers against Spencer’s back and her right hip, where her other hand had remained, as tight as she could. Ashley pulled her lips back just enough to use her teeth and nip Spencer’s bottom lip; Spencer actually whimpered and the sound drove Ashley crazy. She licked the spot she had bitten and then moved down to press her lips against Spencer’s throat. Spencer leaned all of her weight completely into Ashley and the brunette was thankful the door had their weight because her legs threatened to buckle. 

Spencer’s breathing had become quite ragged and that finally triggered something in Ashley’s brain. _Holy shit we have to stop. Oh my god we are standing in the middle of Emma’s house_ very _quickly losing control. Holy fucking shit._ Very reluctantly Ashley gave Spencer’s neck one final kiss before pulling away and her hand retreated from inside her shirt. Spencer struggled to open her eyes and pouted at Ashley. The adorable look almost broke Ashley’s resolve but the reminder that she was standing in Emma’s front room, and that she _really_ didn’t want to get caught making out with the blonde by her protective older sister made her stay strong.. 

“Okay. Um. Once I can feel my legs again I should really go. Yeah.”

Spencer chuckled a little and finally gathered herself and took a small step back from Ashley after letting her hands fall to her sides. “You dropped my lighter.”

“Right.” Ashley scooped it back up and flicked it open and shut once to check it. “My bad.”

“Keep it for a bit. See if it helps. But keep it safe for me.”

“I promise.” _God I don’t want to leave her now._ “I’m gonna go.”

Spencer’s smile was bashful and little shy. “Goodnight. Thank you for coming to check on me.”

“Of course. Okay I’m really going to go.” Ashley stepped forward and stole one more quick peck to Spencer’s lips before opening the front door and backing out with a final wave. 

She was humming by the time she made it to the car.

_“Oh, oh, we can’t get any better than this_   
_You’ve just stolen me with your perfect kiss.”_

**

Spencer knew she shouldn’t be here. Emma would be angry; Emma would be nervous. Emma had spent the whole night with Spencer as they picked apart her reaction and how she felt. Emma had her light and put out a dozen candles over and over again as she watched on carefully. Some thought that lighting a fire, even one as small as candle, would be the worst thing for a pyromaniac but it was actually a coping tool. By dealing with small amounts of flame one could keep their impulses under control; it was those who were banned from fire who generally snapped and broke. 

When Spencer was in control Emma allowed her a lighter, even one filled with lighter fluid, because she trusted Spencer and the younger blonde trusted herself. But if she was out of control that was an entirely different situation. 

Spencer had explained that she had just been startled by the sudden news of a fire and the sudden, incorrect, talk of pyromania. She promise Emma that she had slipped but not relapsed; and Emma believed her. Emma retained her trust in her even if she didn’t like the news of fire in her town. 

With that thought, and the thought that Emma kept faith in her, Spencer knew this was the last place she should be. 

But she just couldn’t help herself. 

She had declined running with Emma and Ashley this morning even though the blonde had offered and had chosen to go by herself. She was in jogging clothes and had turned away from Main Street and headed almost directly for the shoreline. She’d come down this way before; there was a beautiful jogging trail along the water and a public beach although it was often too cold for it. 

This was the first time, however, she’d turned away from the main path and headed down a side street. The town cannery wasn’t exactly a beautiful tourist attraction and the factory was tucked away down the road. 

She knew what Emma would say about this little side trip; that Spencer was the last person that should be snooping around the scene of a fire. _But maybe I’m also the best person._

The cannery itself was a large, three story wooden building that was so faded it all looked grey. Spencer was willing to bet that quite a few of the locals that weren’t miners worked in this building. The parking lot was pretty big and faced around towards the back. Spencer’s eye was caught by the yellow police caution tape and she naturally drifted over. 

The two, industrial green dumpsters were at the side of the lot and someone, likely Graham, had cordoned the area off.

Spencer ducked under the tape and kept walking. From this far there were no signs of fire at all. _They were right about the dumpsters being too far away for the fire jump from one to the other easily though._ Spencer turned, went still, and waited for some wind until she realized the cannery was blocking the breeze off the water. _And that doesn’t help either._

The blonde looked around but couldn’t see anyone so she stepped right up to the first bin. The black plastic coverings were already flipped up so she could peer inside. She’d worn a long sleeve jogging outfit specifically so she could pull the sleeves down to cover her hands when she rest them on the edge of the dumpster. 

She hoisted herself up a little to get a better view. Most of the bottom of the dumpster was ashes. A few things hadn’t melted and stuck out noticeably. Spencer was most intrigued by the popped bike tire that someone had thrown out. _Wasn’t hot enough to melt the rubber. So this was a short and quick blaze._ She leaned down, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply through her nose. 

It was a smell Spencer was intimately familiar with.

The smell of garbage lingered but the blonde could ignore that and focus only on the fire itself. _Clean fire. No accelerant smell._ She knew that any flammable liquid, from gasoline to kerosene and even alcohol, left behind an odour that changed the fire smell. 

She dropped herself back onto the ground and moved over to the other dumpster and pulled herself up for a look inside that one. It looked, and smelt, the same as the first. Spencer noticed a few metal cans that hadn’t shifted shape and only singed the outside. 

Spencer was perfectly aware that one generally didn’t need an accelerant of any kind for a dumpster fire; they practically lit themselves. Toss a match inside and walk away and within minutes the entire inside of the dumpster would be alight. _But we don’t like to walk away, do we?_

Whether a person was a true pyromaniac or a malicious arsonist, all fire-starters need to hang around and watch the fire burn. _So where were you?_ Along the side of the cannery there was no protection and nowhere to hide. Back towards the parking lot was risky because it would be very easy to be caught. She turned in a full circle and couldn’t see anything. Across the road was completely open and any further away and one would lose sight of the fire. _So where the fuck were you?_ Spencer turned again, getting frustrated, until she saw it. She completely missed it the first time and had never noticed it even when she’d walked up. 

The cannery had a fire escape. 

The building’s outer wood was so grey that the metal fire escape, starting at the ground and crossing all the way up to the third floor, completely blended in. _Gotcha._ She walked for the fire escape and chuckled at the _Do Not Cross_ sign hanging on a chain that was so low she merely stepped over it. Spencer kept her eyes peeled carefully on the metal structure. She didn’t know what she expected to find, perhaps a coffee cup or cigarette butts, but she also didn’t know what she’d do with them if she _did_ find something. 

She walked all the way up to the top of the fire escape and tried the door leading inside the cannery but it was locked from the outside. She peered down over the railing and decided it was a little too high. She headed back down to the second floor platform and did a double-take. She ran her fingers lightly along the metal in the outer corner; it was less dusty and dirty than the others. _So. You crouched right here, got comfortable, and looked down the railing as the fires burned. Did you stay here hidden in the shadows when the crowd formed? How about when they put out the fires? Or when Graham came to investigate? When did you realize that you were stuck up here until every single person was gone?_

Crouching where the fire-starter had sat was starting to make Spencer uncomfortable so she rose to head back for the ground. Part of her wishes she had her Zippo lighter but she was content in her decision to give it to Ashley. _You’re fine. You’re in control and she needs it more than you do._ She was just rounding the dumpsters when she sensed she wasn’t alone. She whirled around to find the smirking, dimpled face of Peter Gold. 

He put his hands up defensively. “Don’t worry, I don’t make the same mistakes twice.” His smile was charming and it enhanced his dimples. 

“Good to know.” Spencer kept a careful eye on him hoping he wouldn’t ask the obvious; he did. 

“What are you doing out here?”

Spencer knew how to play a part when she needed to. She let herself shift guiltily and blushed a little. “I guess I just couldn’t _not_ come check things out, you know? I couldn’t believe it when I heard the rumours. I thought maybe things had been super exaggerated and it was only like a coffee cup on fire or something.”

Peter laughed a little. “Ah, not quite. One thing that you can count on this town for is that the rumours are always true…ish.” 

“I can see that.” She nodded her head at the dumpsters. “I still think maybe people are overreacting a little. It could have been an accident.”

His eyebrows shot up and he laughed again. “How on earth could this have been an accident?”

“I dunno.” _Because it wasn't an accident._ Spencer shrugged. “Maybe someone tossed out a cigarette and it caught something in the first dumpster on fire so they panicked and tried to get it out? In the struggle they ended up tossing something flaming in the other dumpster too.”

Peter laughed and rolled his eyes. “Well if that’s what happened then they deserve to get arrested for stupidity either way.”

Spencer looked at the teenager a little closer. He was wearing simple jeans and a sweatshirt but there we no new cars around and he had nothing with him. “What were you doing here?”

He smiled for just a second. “Same as you, I guess. Couldn’t resist coming to have a look. I think the adults all want it to be some crazy pyro just so they have something to talk about.”

“I don’t think they really know what it would mean to have a pyro in their town.” Spencer muttered. Peter heard her.

“No. I wouldn’t think so.” They fell silent and it bothered Peter first. “My dad actually owns all these buildings down here. He was pretty pissed when he head there’d been a fire.”

“I can imagine.” Spencer edged lightly around him. “Anyway, I better go.”

“I won’t keep you.” Peter grinned. “I’m not that dumb. Not after Ashley claimed you and sent her attack dog to keep an eye on you.”

The blonde scowled. “Nobody can claim me. And Aiden is a good friend.”

“Sure, sure.” Peter waved her off. “Guess I’ll see you at the scene of the next fire?”

“I doubt there’ll be a next fire.” Spencer muttered as she walked passed. When she turned around halfway out of the parking lot Peter was peering into the dumpsters just as she had. _Fire shouldn’t intrigue people like this._

She didn’t stop to question how hypocritical she was being.

**

If Regina was being truthful she enjoyed being in her full Mayoral armour. Her hair was perfectly coiffed and her makeup a mask of perfection. Her business suit was classy and professional and, according to Ashley, said _head bitch in charge._

Now that she was ready, and not in date clothes still smiling at Emma, Regina was ready to face Graham; and the Sheriff had better have some good explanations for her. Her heels signalled her approach down the Police Station hallway so Graham was already turned in his chair and facing her. “Good morning Madam Mayo-”

“Do you know why you were elected Sheriff, Mr. Humbert?” Regina cut him off. She could practically hear his gulp. She stalked further into the room and slammed her purse down on his desk for effect. She continued talking before he could say anything. “You were elected Sheriff because no one ran against you. Do you know why no one ran against you?” Graham nervously pulled at his collar and loosened his tie as she stalked another threatening step forward. “Because I made it so. Because this is _my_ town, Mr. Humbert. You were hired into this position with the understanding that _you_ worked for _me_. And now I find that you haven’t been performing your job to standard.”

“No, Regina,” Graham finally stood and, even though he now had height on the brunette, she continued to stare him down. 

“Do not interrupt me. I find out that you had information about some punk selling drugs in my town and not only did you allow it to continue, you failed to inform me about it. You are to tell me _everything_ that goes on in my town.”

“Regina.” Graham tried again. “I’m not sure what Emma told you,”

“What Ms. Swan told me is irrelevant.” Regina snapped. “Do you deny having information about Calvin Spunketti selling drugs before Emma brought the information to you?”

“I…I knew. But,”

Regina practically bared her teeth. “What exactly were you thinking?” _God this incompetent fool._ “I can’t even imagine what was going through that tiny peasant brain of yours?”

“I just thought I would wait until I had some evidence to show you,”

“How long, Graham?” 

“What?”

Regina narrowed her eyes. In moments like these she absolutely hated repeating herself. She spoke very slowly and enunciated every word individually. “How long have you known Spunketti was selling drugs in my town?” She held back a smirk at making the grown man cower slightly. _Jesus, grow a spine. This is who I had elected Sheriff?_

Graham seemed to know that lying would make things worse for him. “Since the beginning of this school semester.”

The brunette almost gasped. _Oh my god, that long?!_ She had thought he would admit to a week or maybe two at the most. Regina lowered her voice to a tone that few citizens had heard. “Tell me why I shouldn’t strip you of the badge you wear _right now_. You mean to tell me that someone has been dealing drugs in this town, to this town’s youth, and you’ve done nothing.” She didn’t yell, or raise her voice, but the quiet calm tone was even more effective. _Oh my god Ashley. Please tell me that Ashley never used this punk or had anything to do with this._

“I didn’t have any evidence.” Graham made a weak attempt to defend himself. 

“Then you find evidence.” Regina snapped. “That is your job. Did you think this would be easy? Did you think every case would wrap itself up nicely? You get paid to _work_ , Mr. Humbert. And you get paid to tell me everything I need to know. Apparently you can’t do either of your job descriptions correctly.” She gave him a withering look that said clearly how little she currently thought of him. “Did you really think that every single case would get handed to you like Ms. Swan handing you a bag full of drugs from some punk street thug who…” Regina actually let her thought trail off and Graham was too nervous to interrupt her. _Oh my god. Oh my god why didn’t we think of that?_ Regina turned another glare on Graham. “Where are you on the investigation into the break-in at Ms. Swan’s house?” 

Graham looked surprised by the quick change of conversation and he shuffled folders on his desk like he would magically come up with something to help him. “Well, you know the investigation is only just beginning. I mean, it only happened last-”

“I am perfectly aware when the break-in occurred Mr. Humbert.” Regina overrode him. _Of course I know, I was there._ “Has it occurred to you, however, that perhaps the person who broke into her home was the same person whom Ms. Swan liberated a bag of drugs from? And that perhaps he broke into her home to see if she had kept any of it? Does that not make sense to you?”

“It does, Madam Mayor.”

“Perhaps you can actually do your job then and investigate Mr. Spunketti both for selling drugs in my town and for the break-in. You _will_ find some evidence to take care of him, or make no mistake, I will take care of you.” With no fear Regina stepped up into the personal space of the Irishman. “Don’t ever forget, I elevated you to this position, and I can just as easily take it away from you.”

Regina snatched her purse from the desk and turn on her heel and left Graham gaping in her wake. _What can I say, sometimes it’s handy to be the Evil Queen._

**

Ashley tapped her hands aimlessly while she waited for her frying pan to get to temperature. The brunette had learned quickly that coming home for lunch was the safest option. While Aiden was speaking to her again he was mostly staying with Spencer and Ashley knew she wasn’t supposed to really be around the blonde. As much as it made her cringe she couldn’t break that rule; she respected Emma too much for that. 

The brunette also couldn’t handle being around Madison. Her Latina best friend tried to be sympathetic and caring; but she cared about her image just as much as Ashley did. With the regular Queen Bee currently out the party scene Madison had happily stepped forward to fill in the gap. 

That made her choices sitting alone in the courtyard at lunch, sitting and listening to the next event and party to be planned, or sitting with people that knew nothing about her at all. _Nope. Jumping in the Porsche and acting above it all is definitely the best choice._

She threw together a simple grilled cheese and dropped it into the pan for it to sizzle. She tapped her hands along the counter again and used her nails against the stainless steel fridge to make a different sound. 

_“Late night, boozin' oh I'm out of control_  
 _Red lights, cruisin', I got no sense of soul_  
 _I knew, you knew, hey we both knew the crime_  
 _Blacker, bluer, oh I'm back in the line”_

The brunette head-bobbed along to the tune now playing easily in her mind as she dug in the drawer for a spatula. 

_“Sometimes the old times, oh they change into new_   
_Bad nights, bad wine, phew, made it through_   
_Stick to your course lest the past start creepin’ in_   
_Hard times, rough nights, hold fast now and begin”_

She flipped her grilled cheese and did a little dip and hip shake in front of the stove.

_“Making it work, takes a little longer_   
_Making it work, takes a little time_   
_Making it work, takes a little longer_   
_Making it work, takes a little time”_

She was just reaching for a plate when the front door banging open made her jump. It had to be Regina, _God I hope its Regina now that I’ve thought that and we've apparently got a burglar in town_ , and she peered around the kitchen entryway to see. Regina was dressed in her best Mayoral pantsuit and she had a decidedly vicious grin on her face. _God, I wonder who she just ripped apart._

The elder brunette seemed to finally notice Ashley peering around the kitchen and startled. “Oh, you’re home.”

Ashley went to answer but could suddenly smell her sandwich on the stove and she darted back into the kitchen to save it from burning. By the time she had a plate and was turning the stove off Regina was leaning against the doorway. “I went to my morning classes.” Ashley said instantly. “And I plan on going back.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Regina arched an eyebrow. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you. I didn’t even notice your car in the driveway.”

“Too busy reminiscing about whichever incompetent townsperson you annihilated today?” Ashley smirked when Regina arched a surprised eyebrow. “You have a,” she used her sandwich to gesture towards Regina’s face, “I just destroyed someone particular smile. So who got it?”

“Graham Humbert.”

“Ah, the beefcake.” Ashley took a large bite and nearly choked on it when she saw the bewildered look on Regina’s face. 

“Excuse me?”

“You know, the not good for very much except standing there and looking built and pretty? People in town call him your beefcake.” Ashley chuckled again at the horrified look on Regina’s face. 

“In another universe, perhaps. Possibly.” She scrunched up her face a little. “Though doubtful.” 

“Did he screw up something with Town Council? Is that why the school events are on hold?” Ashley noticed that Regina’s demeanour deflated.

“No, that in particular wasn’t his fault. Kathryn told you guys about that, hmm?”

“Yeah.” Ashley took another bite of her sandwich and she was a little surprised Regina hadn’t told her to sit down with her plate yet. “I think she was trying to like, temper our expectations in case it doesn’t happen.”

“I’m really sorry about this, Ashley.”

_Damn. She actually does look broken up about it._ “Shit happens. Maybe we’ll actually come up with the money.” Ashley noticed Regina’s face darken further. _Or not._ “Not gonna happen?”

Regina sighed. “The problem is we need a certain amount of money and for that to happen we need the entire town to come together and donate, instead of just the people with children enrolled in the school. We need something for the entire town and I, well, so far we haven’t come up with what that would be.”

Ashley hummed as she finished her sandwich and licked her fingers. “I dunno. Put on a concert.” _Music. When are these people going to learn? Music is the only answer I have._ She noticed Regina’s frozen look though. 

“What?” Regina's voice was soft and curious.

“I don’t know. A concert. Or a show. Combine the two talent shows into one show and open it up for the entire town and charge admission. All the parents will come to see their kids and some of the older students have acts good enough that people might pay to see.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You can even advertise that I’ll perform Mad Hatters music. Most of the middle aged miners in town want me to sing dad’s classic stuff, so that will entice even them to come.” Regina’s jaw had dropped and Ashley shifted uncomfortably. “Or not. Whatever.”

“Ashley. Oh my god, that’s brilliant.” 

Before Ashley could blink suddenly Regina’s arms were around her neck and she was being hugged tight. Ashley froze out of habit; this was their first hug in probably over a year. _This woman wanted you. She was the only one who ever wanted you._ Slowly, Ashley’s arms came up and around Regina’s waist. The elder brunette seemed to have finally realized what she’d impulsively done when she felt Ashley begin to hug her back. 

“It’s a good idea, Ash.” Regina whispered into her hair and Ashley closed her eyes. “Proud of you.”

Now her eyes were clenched shut as she had to stop the flow of tears threatening to spill over. _This is too much. This is way too much._ Ashley pulled back and Regina allowed the movement. The elder brunette took a moment to fix her jacket and the creases in her pants which gave Ashley a second to run her fingers under her eye. “Glad I could help.” Ashley managed to get out and turned back to the stove. 

“Leave the pan. I’m going to make myself something for lunch too.”

“Right. I better get back anyway. Later.” She was fleeing and she knew Regina knew it. 

“Ashley? It really is a wonderful idea. It just might save the school dances.”

“Great.” _A dance I probably won’t be allowed to go to with Spencer. But she’s proud of you for coming up with it._ Ashley snagged her backpack off the ground and hurried back out the front door. 

_Nope. Can’t deal with that right now. Cannot handle dealing with that. Not now._

_Maybe never._

**

Emma was brooding. 

She didn’t always engage in such a pastime because she preferred being proactive about her problems but in this instance, she was brooding. She stood in the middle of her living room, arms crossed and a deep scowl painted across her features. She surveyed everything she was seeing with deep dislike and distrust.

_Did you take a seat in that armchair while you were in here? How about that couch? Did you take a breather and put your feet up on my coffee table? Jesus, I might get rid of all this furniture._

She had already run every dish and plate they owned through the dishwasher before putting them back in cupboards. She had originally been of the mind to smash everything but Spencer had convinced her that was a waste. They had gone into the fridge and thrown half of the contents out, however. Basically anything that a finger could be dipped into and tasted, including all their leftovers, had been tossed in the trash. The blondes knew that they were skittish, and probably overreacting, but the violation into their home was felt deeply. 

Emma had spent the entire morning, only minus her morning run with Ashley, inside the house cleaning. And now that everything she could possibly clean was disinfected, she was left with nothing to do but brood. 

Brood and ponder.

She had several different possibilities about who had broken into her home and each one provided it’s own set of challenges and dangers. Figuring out which was correct would be the harder job. 

On top of the break-in, now she also had to consider the fire. Her jaw clenched, this time less in anger and more in worry. Having a firebug in town could be disastrous both for the town and for Spencer. Spencer had worked _so hard_ to reach a comfortable place with herself and Emma didn’t want this to rock the boat. She still wasn’t sure if the decision that she’d made to stay, to not run, had been the correct one. _I would do anything to protect Spencer but with her pleading with me, begging not to leave, how could that be the right choice either?_ Now she had a burglar _and_ a fire-starter to find and she wasn’t pleased about any of it.

She shifted her feet, to glare at another section of the house, when there was a knock on her front door. Her scowl intensified. The only people that she wouldn’t be aggrieved to see she already knew it wasn’t. Spencer and Ashley were at school and Ruby was, as always, at the diner. She also knew that it wasn’t Regina; she could tell from the knock and how it sounded. 

She considered not answering it but some of her adult responsibility kicked in and she forced herself to move. The empty end table beside the door caused another deep frown. Since it hadn’t been the original, and hadn’t been for some time, they were less attached to the vase than they were the _idea_ of the vase. The fact that their detection system wasn’t in place made both blondes uncomfortable. She had found a place in Rockland called Playing with Fire! that offered glass blowing sessions. At their first opportunity Spencer had agreed to make the trip over to Rockland for one session to make another vase. 

She finally swung the front door open and when she saw the scruffy beard and the sheepish grin of the Sheriff she rolled her eyes and almost shut the door again reflexively. “What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

“I was hoping we could talk for a moment.” 

Emma grit her teeth but dutifully stepped aside and once again let the Sheriff into her home. He looked around and seemed to notice that every surface was gleaming. “You cleaned? I was hoping,”

“There were no fingerprints to dust for, whoever it was they were wearing gloves.” Emma noticed his expression. “Of course I checked before I cleaned.”

“Right. Of course. Well, the thing I wanted to talk to you about is that we have a possible suspect in your break-in.”

_Already? I’m shocked._ “Oh?”

“Yes. I believe that it was likely Spunk, the drug deal-”

“I remember the name.” Emma cut him off. _I considered that too, but I’m surprised you were so quick on the uptake._ “And you think it’s him because?”

“Because you had just taken a bag full of drugs from him. I can only assume that Spunk was hoping you kept the drugs instead of bringing them to me and he was trying to find them and steal them back.”

Emma hated to admit that Graham had a point. She had considered the same thing herself and concluded that it was a definite possibility. _The only thing that doesn’t fit is that Spunk seemed like such a coward. Breaking into my home takes more balls than he might have. Not to mention that the picking of the front door lock was skillful and I just don’t know if that kid had it in him._ “Alright. So what’s your plan?”

Graham cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going to stakeout Spunk on the suspicion of the break-in and the drug dealing and wait for something we can use or hold him on.”

_Exactly like I suggested._ “Great. And you came here just to…keep me informed?”

“Ah. No. I um,” He cleared his throat again, “I actually had a different idea. I thought you could join me on the stakeout and the operation.”

“That isn’t legal.” Emma said with narrowed eyes. “I don’t care how many times and how many different TV shows have a detective partnered with someone who doesn’t have a badge to solve crime, but it isn’t legal.”

“I know that.” He flashed a boyish grin. “Which is why I brought this.” He pulled out a shiny, gold badge and offered it to her. It was a six pointed star with a tree in the middle that looked nearly identical to one the pinned to Graham’s vest. 

Emma blinked. “A badge?”

“A deputy’s badge.” He shifted awkwardly again. “So I can deputize you.”

The blonde’s first reaction was _hell no._ Her relationship with law enforcement, especially this Sheriff, was rocky at best and suspicious at worst. She had yet to meet a cop she liked and becoming one of them had never crossed her mind in her entire life of crossing paths with them. Secondly, being deputy to Graham meant the Irishman would be her boss; something else she definitely did not need. The interactions between the two of them were off-putting enough without adding another professional angle in the mix. “I already have a job.” Emma said with an arched eyebrow to give her time to consider.

“Ah, yeah. I know.” Graham let his hand fall to his side when Emma still didn’t reach to accept the badge. “And you wouldn’t have to quit your job. I just thought you could become like a, a part-time deputy. A consultant. That way we would be able to share information and you’d be able to help around the town in an official capacity.”

Emma still wanted to tell him _hell no._ The thought of actually wearing that badge made her cringe a little. _But think of the big picture Swan. You have a burglar to catch and a fire-bug to find. This could be your opportunity to access different resources and avenues of information._ She groaned internally. _Damnit._ “And does Regina know you’re offering me this part-time consulting gig?”

“Well. No.” Graham admitted. “But it’s still my department and there’s room for it in the budget. Besides, I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it because it’s you.”

Emma didn’t like the emphasis he put onto the word _you_ and she made sure her glare let him know that. She reached out and finally took the badge from him. It was pretty simple, a folded over black leather case and the gold star. “Deputy Swan.” Graham said with a slight smile.

_Oh good Jesus. Just wait til Spencer gets wind of this one._


	11. Strike While the Iron...

“I can’t believe this!” Spencer laughed and then quickly brought her forearm up to deflect the quick backhanded jab that Emma had aimed for her face. Spencer utilized her feet, dancing out of Emma’s range, and chuckled again. “My sister, law enforcement Deputy extraordinaire!” Spencer had to be quick again when Emma attempted to use her distraction to her advantage and tried for a roundhouse kick to her midsection. Spencer allowed the contact, tucked Emma’s foot under her arm and then tried to sweep Emma’s remaining leg. The elder blonde managed to stay on her feet and Spencer had to let go of her foot to avoid being yanked off balance. They separated and gathered themselves again.

“Laugh it up.” Emma rolled her eyes. “I hope you can see I did this for a reason.”

“I’m not stupid.” Spencer tested her sister’s defences by stepping forward and jabbing quickly before retreating. “I understand how it might be helpful in catching the burglar. And the fire-bug.” Spencer almost slipped when she stepped back suddenly and Emma instantly pressed the attack. Spencer blocked her head and tried to tuck her elbows down to protect her ribs when Emma came at her like a boxer. Spencer drove upward with her knee; Emma dodged the attack but it gave Spencer room to slip away and dance out of range again. “You still have to wear a badge.” Spencer chortled. She could Emma stepped closer for another barrage of attacks again. “Oh my god, do you have to wear a polyester uniform?” 

Even Emma laughed now as she jabbed and pulled back for an actual punch. Spencer let the punch glide past her face and she ducked to the left. She drew up the knee of her back leg and drove it upward; she connected with Emma’s stomach and she felt the air escape the elder blonde’s lungs in a sharp grunt. Spencer danced away and in the time it took Emma to regain her stance and turn around Spencer had thrust both hands into the air and cheered. “Victory! Sweet victory! Yes! That was a perfectly legal body shot and you can’t say it wasn’t! Yes!” Spencer fist pumped and wiggled her hips and ass as she did a purposefully obnoxious victory dance. “Finally got a shot on you!”

The world spun and Spencer found herself flat on her back. Her training had taken over and she’d smacked the ground with her forearms to protect her head, but she continued laughing even though Emma had swept her legs and taken her down. 

“Don’t cheer until you know your opponent is really finished.”

Spencer waved her off even from her position flat on her back. “You owe me my blue hair dye, fair and square. Finally!” Spencer sat up and started using her teeth to remove the black tape from around her hands. 

Emma started to do the same and spoke once she’d spat the tape out. “Yes, you may have your hair dye. Please don’t destroy my bathroom while you do it.” 

“I might ask Ruby to help me.” Spencer commented. She balled up the tape and whipped it at Emma; her sister caught it easily and never flinched. 

“Good idea. All joking aside, you really do know why I did this, right?”

“Of course.” Spencer was surprised her sister was genuinely concerned about it. “It makes sense, I get that. It’s a little weird, but, we do what we have to do. Right?”

“Exactly.” Emma opened the door to head out of the room.

“Do you even remember the first cop you dealt with? Besides _her_ I mean.”

“Oh god.” Emma’s hands were on her hips and her head tilted as she thought. “I’m not sure. I remember a mall rent-a-cop taking me down one time. As we went down together my tooth went like right through my lip. Blood everywhere. _She_ was pissed of course.”

“I don’t remember this?”

“No, no, you wouldn’t even have been born yet. I was young when it happened. Do you remember the first time we met _her_ partner?”

Spencer grinned. “The bald guy we eventually started calling Voldemort?” Spencer’s giggles were contagious and Emma chuckled too. “Yes.” 

“God he cuffed me in the back of the head so hard that time at the department barbeque.”

“Yeah. And I threatened to set the whole tent on fire if he ever touched you again.” Spencer remembered. 

Emma got a little more serious. “How are you feeling by the way?”

Spencer tried not to be annoyed because she knew that her sister only cared and genuinely wanted to help. “I’m fine. Perfectly in control. I told you, it was only a slip because I was surprised.”

“Okay. It’s just, I haven’t seen your Zippo since.”

The younger blonde was surprised, although she probably shouldn’t have been, that Emma was observant enough to have noticed the small change so quickly. “It’s not because I don’t trust myself with it. I actually, uh, gave it to Ashley.” She could see her sister’s surprise and interest but Emma refrained from freaking out. 

“Oh?”

“She needed it.” Spencer shrugged. “I thought it could help her by keeping her hands busy.”

“And you didn’t consider buying her a fidget spinner?” 

Spencer scowled. “It was more of a spur of the moment gift. I just want her to be okay.”

“I want you _both_ to be okay.” Emma replied easily. “I know you like something in your hands as well.”

“I have other things. I’ll be fine, I promise.” Spencer smiled. “You can stop being a Mother Hen any time now.”

“Fine.” Emma went to get them waters from the kitchen. “What did you tell Ashley when you gave it to her? She ask if you smoke or something?”

“No. I just told her I knew what it felt like and that keeping your hands busy with a repetitive motion could help.”

Emma’s face told her she’d done something wrong. “Spencer. Maybe right now isn’t the time to be telling people that you know what it feels like to have poor impulse control? And that a lighter is connected to it?”

“Ashley’s not going to think I set the fire.” Spencer huffed. 

“How do you know? Spence _you_ briefly considered that you set the fire. We move into town and suddenly there’s a fire and a girl hands her a lighter that makes herself feel better? Spence, it looks bad.”

“Well maybe when you say it like that, but Ashley wouldn’t think it.” _Ashley trusts me. Just like I trust her._

The older blonde gave a deep sigh. “I hope not. Because if accusations start flying around about you, the deal is off and we are out of town. I’m not putting you through a witch hunt.” Emma headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed and Spencer aimlessly wandered into her bedroom.

_Put me through another witch hunt, you mean._

**

_“I got up late, five to nine_   
_I missed the bus, I’m losing my mind_   
_Another day and I'm off to school_   
_Another day to break the rules_   
_Got caught cussin' in the halls_   
_The principal out to break my balls_   
_Teachers here don't understand me_   
_That I just wanna be free_   
_Now say it”_

Ashley glanced up from her notebook to look around the quiet classroom to make sure nothing had changed. They had been given the last ten minutes of class to work on their assignment but Ashley found it impossible to work here. Listening to 20 other kids writing and shift around and just breathe drove her crazy. She needed music playing and at least some solitude. She drew another set of Staff lines on her notebook and jotted down her chorus. 

_“I - hate - I hate school rules - hate school rules_  
 _I - hate - I hate school rules - hate school rules”_

The brunette usually went for catchier, and wordier, choruses but she liked the way this sounded and how it could be sung like an anthem. Ashley, like she had been doing all class, glanced over and stole a look at Spencer. The blonde had her head down and was writing near frantically. _Figures she could probably get the assignment done in ten minutes._ Not wanting to be caught creeping, or get caught in another daydream about their kiss, she dropped her eyes. The bell still hadn’t rung to signal the end of English class so she wrote out another verse. 

_“(Where's your homework?) - I ain't got it done_   
_I'd like to change the way things are run_   
_They met my mom at the PTA_   
_And said "Your kid skipped school today"_   
_I sold my books to buy a guitar_   
_I don’t need school to be a star_   
_Detention halls are not for me_   
_I just wanna be free_   
_Say it”_

Ashley aimlessly doodled her pen at the bottom of the page. _Kinda trite to write about hating school, isn’t it Ash? People would probably love to sing though. Could get you a piece of the younger crowd. But do you really care about that?_ She considered ripping out the page to toss it. 

_“Let me tell you something, Ashley.”_

_Ashley beamed up at her dad from where she was sitting on the floor. Jefferson was sitting on one of the couches in the tour bus but he was slouched so low in it he was practically laying down. Zelena’s head was resting in his lap while her one arm flopped over almost to the floor. At first Ashley had thought her mom was sleeping but she’d gone up on her knees to peer at her and found her eyes open and blinking slowly. “What daddy?”_

_“Half of music, is giving the people what they want. Do you think I like half the bullshit I sing about every night?”_

_Ashley didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Shouldn’t Daddy like to sing his music? She didn’t think that was the right answer. “No?”_

_“No, you’re right.”_

_Ashley beamed at being told she was right by her father._

_“I don’t like half the stuff I sing. I sing it because I have to give the people what they want, so that they’ll buy it.”_

_“Your fans.”_

_“Right.” He took the time to light one of his bad-smelling cigarettes. “I sing shit so that they like it. It’s a fact of the music business. You give the people what they want to hear. You know what the other part of music is, little Alice?” He pointed the cigarette at her; he blinked his eyes like he was having trouble focusing on her._

_Ashley always wondered why little Alice was her daddy’s nickname for her when that wasn’t her name. “What daddy?”_

_“Giving the people what they didn’t know they fucking wanted.” He burst into giggles then until he was laughing almost manically. “The people don’t know what they want, and so we’ve got to show them. Ain’t that right, baby doll?” Jefferson directed his words down at the red-head in his lap but Zelena hardly moved. “Aint that right boys?” He now directed loudly at the rest of the bus._

_“Sure, Jeff.”_

_“You got it Jefferson.”_

_Ashley smiled at the band-members as they walked by. They leaned down and ruffled her curly hair and she giggled at them. She looked up hoping her father would join in but he was gazing down at Zelena. “You’re way down the rabbit hole right now, aren’t you baby?” He chuckled again. “Don’t ever forget that, little Alice.” He seemed to remember her presence again. “Give the people what they want, even if you fucking hate it.”_

The bell jarred Ashley from her daydream, _fuck I wish I’d been dreaming about Spencer instead_ , and she gathered her things. First, she ripped out the page and crumpled it. _I’m not you, dad. I’m not a sell-out. I’ll sing music that matters._

“If you wouldn’t mind waiting here for a moment, Ms. Davies.”

Ashley blanched when de Vil called out to her; she looked up into that pale blue gaze that was staring at her directly. She gulped until she felt a gentle hand trail fingers down her arm. 

“Good luck.” Spencer whispered on her way by. Ashley waited until the class was gone, most of them staring at her and whispering loudly, and then made her way up to de Vil. She noticed her typed up report and her comic book sitting in the middle of the desk. _Oh fuck. She’s about to fail me isn’t she?_

“I received your extra-assignment when I came in this morning.” Her voice gave nothing away. “You made a comic book.” Her tone still flat but her eyes were piercing.

“Um. Yes.” Ashley looked down at the book she and Henry had created together. They had taken several sheets of blank printer paper, laid them out and folded them before carefully stapling the seam and folding creases. The cover of the comic was mostly dark and showed a young boy standing, sad and alone, although he casts the much greater shadow of an adult man standing in a classic superhero pose. Henry had talked her into the design saying he had taken the idea from a Superman cover. 

Ashley watched as de Vil flipped through the comic slowly. Each page held only a few panels. The first few showed the young boy sitting on a hill with multiple graves stones and towards the end de Vil flipped to where a haggard, older man in chains appears and threatens the young boy. She flips back to the cover and Ashley just catches the title they had decided on, The Tragic Backstory of Pip the Great, before de Vil is staring her down. “You created a comic book.” She repeated.

“I did.” _Just tell me if I’ve failed or not, would you?_

“Where did you get the idea?” Her voice still had no inflection to it.

Ashley doesn’t see how lying could hurt. “My cousin, Henry. He gave me comic book and it gave me the idea.”

“I see.”

De Vil seemed content to say nothing else and Ashley started to fidget; she fingered the Zippo lighter she had in her pocket.

“Very well. You have another week for your next two chapters, Miss Davies.”

_Wait._ “What?” _That’s it? What the hell did you bring me over here for then?_ “We’re good?” She had to clarify. 

“We’re good, Miss Davies. I’m sure you have class.” De Vil looked away and apparently Ashley was dismissed. She walked to the door in a little bit of a daze. _Does that mean she liked it? I don’t know what’s happening right now._

“Ash, you good?”

Ashley startled at Madison’s voice. The Latina had apparently waited outside the classroom door for her. “Jesus, bitch, way to give me a heart attack.”

Madison gave her a smirk. “If I was trying to kill you, _chica_ , you’d know.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Ashley chuckled. 

“So. What the fuck’s up?”

Leave it to Madison. “Nothing. Extra credit bullshit, gotta jump through hoops for the teachers to pass this semester.”

Madison scoffed. “Ah fuck. Gotta do it though, right?”

“Apparently.” _Unless I want to end up like my father and in fucking rehab._

“And how about everything else?” Madison waggled her eyebrows and Ashley shoved her.

“Bitch, please. What, are you looking for some gossip?”

“No. Forgive me for asking after my friend.”

Ashley pulled out the Zippo lighter and flicked it open with one hand. “It’s going I guess. I’m getting bored though.”

“I don’t doubt it, no one has seen you around in days. Why don’t you come chill?”

“At the hangout?” _Yeah, that sounds like a terrible idea._

“Wherever.” Madison shrugged. “Just come chill for a bit and just let people know you’re alive.”

Ashley could hear the genuine tone that Madison was trying to hide underneath sass and that was what made her finally nod. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Where’d you get that lighter, by the way?” The Latina eyed the old, tarnished metal that clearly wasn’t brand new.

“Oh, Spencer gave it to me.” Ashley brightened at just the mention of the blonde. 

“Weird. She smoke?”

“No. Actually she doesn’t.”

**

If Emma decided to create a list of complaints about Sheriff Graham Humbert the top of the list would be that he couldn’t sit in silence. 

Emma had been surprised, first of all, when she had shown up to the station this morning and Graham’s plan had involved a stake-out in one of the police cruisers. When she merely blinked at him he’d explained that the city didn’t have an unmarked car. 

It had taken Emma only two phone-calls to secure them a vehicle. One to Ruby only to find out the waitress drove a very noticeable and recognizable red Chevrolet Camaro. She explained the situation and, five minutes after the first call, Ruby had called back to let them know that she had gotten them Dorothy’s permission to use her very plain black Honda Civic. 

Graham had chattered the entire drive over to get Dorothy’s car and the entire drive over to Spunk’s apartment about how good of an idea it was. He used his charming boyish tone and smile and Emma repeatedly rolled her eyes. _Yes. Because not doing a stakeout in a cop car is such a novel idea._

The Irishman drove them to a section of town that Emma hadn’t been through before except to run by. She didn’t think it really warranted being called “a bad part” of town but if Storybrooke had one it would be this. The townhouses were small and it didn’t have quite the same small-town charm that the rest of Storybrooke did. 

Graham, of course, took it upon himself to inform her that most of the neighbourhood were 20 something’s who had moved out of their parents homes and yet couldn’t afford to move completely away or into a home yet. 

Spunk himself lived with two other people in one of the townhouses. Graham had dutifully informed her that he didn’t think the other two boys in the townhouse were involved. “They’re third generation miners. Lived here their whole lives and knew they’d work at the mine just like their fathers before them and their father’s before them.”

“Touching.” Emma deadpanned. 

“I just can’t see it.”

“How did you know Spunk was selling drugs?”

“Excuse me?”

“How did you know Spunk was selling drugs.” Emma said again. “I knew because I saw it. But if _you’d_ seen it, you’d have been able to arrest him. So how did you know?”

“Well. I’m Sheriff. I hear everything that goes on in this town, you know.”

“And Regina doesn’t?” Emma used her first name on purpose to see Graham’s reaction. He clenched his teeth and Emma could see it even through his beard.

“Mayor Mills only knows everything going on this town because Sydney and I tell her.”

Emma was intrigued by the new piece of information. “Who’s Sydney?”

“Sydney Glass. He’s the editor for the local newspaper. The man lives and breathes this town’s gossip. Well, gossip and Regina Mills.” He shot her a small smirk and Emma didn’t let anything show on her face. 

_You trying to get some gossip for yourself there Graham? Maybe make me jealous? You have to know Regina and I went out, it would have been extremely obvious even to you. Regina didn’t even have a car at my house for fucks sake._ “So he gets the gossip and you get?”

“I like to stick more to the facts.”

“Right. And so back to how you already knew Spunk was selling drugs?”

“I received a tip from a concerned citizen, okay? I assume they witnessed something as you did.”

“Right.” _Well that’s possible I suppose. Someone else doing your work for you again._ She was content to let the car fall into silence while they sat and stared at Spunk’s house, waiting for him to either come or go, but Graham quickly needed to start talking again. 

“So, nothing at all was missing from your house after the break-in?”

“If there was, it was so insignificant we didn’t even notice.” _There was nothing. We don’t have enough possessions not to notice something missing._

“I suppose that means it really was Spunk looking for his drugs.”

Emma made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat. _But still, then why not steal anything? If he needs more drugs or he’s on the hook for the money with someone he’d need cash pronto._

“There he is.” Graham nodded at the kid walking out of the townhouse with a backpack, a different grey one, slung over his shoulder. 

“He’s not very bright.”

Graham looked surprised. “Why?”

“Schools in right now. The only time you see a backpack is before and after school time. It looks really obvious and noticeable any other time.” Emma explained without taking her eyes of him as he walked obliviously down the sidewalk on the other side of the road. Graham went to start the car and Emma reached out to still him. “Not yet. He’s got nowhere to go except Main Street so give him a minute.”

“What if he goes off Main Street?”

“To where? I don’t suppose he’s making house calls door to door, that would be really obvious. Someone would have mentioned seeing some young man stopping in at middle aged people’s houses in the middle of the day. That would have caused a real scandal.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” They were watching him in the mirrors now. “So what’s the plan?”

Emma held back an eye-roll. “I told you. As soon as we see him do something suspicious we can search him. Finding drugs on him is enough for detainment and arrest. If we have to, we’ll improvise. Okay, start the car now.”

They drove as slowly as they could without seeming entirely suspicious and they passed him making his way down Main Street. Graham parallel parked and they watched him enter Granny’s diner. Emma was forced to tune out Graham’s idle chattering for ten minutes until Spunk emerged again. 

“No way did he just sell drugs in Granny’s.”

Emma had to hold back another eye-roll. “I’m assuming he just picked up lunch. What’s down that way, the way he’s heading?”

“The gas station where he works.”

“Give him a head start and then follow him.”

Graham timed it well and they were just pulling into the small gas station parking lot when Spunk was entering the front door; it was right before he was out of their sight that Emma saw it. Spunk glanced over his shoulder and looked directly at the car where they were sitting before averting his eyes quickly. _He knows. He knows we’re here. He knows we’re watching._ Emma unbuckled her seat belt and reached for the car handle. 

“What are you doing?”

“Improvising. Stay here.” Emma gave the kid another moment by fixing her leather jacket and kneeling down to re-lace both her boots. By the time she pushed open the door of the small convenience store attached to the gas station Spunk had slipped into a grey and blue work shirt and was perched on a stool behind the counter. Emma grabbed a bottle of water and a pack of gum pretty much without looking. 

“That all for you today?” His hair still needed a touch-up, brown roots showing through blonde locks, and though his words were polite he was giving her a sneer.

Emma also noticed that his slightly beady hazel eyes met her stare directly. “Yeah, that’s it.”

He huffed as he rang through her two items. “You don’t want to assault me today?”

_I’m very shocked you’re bringing that up kid._ “Why, you want me to?”

He sneered again. “Go ahead, search me. You won’t find shit.” 

_I have no doubt about that. You wouldn’t have brought it up if you’d had something on you._ She handed him over a five dollar bill and he quickly put her drink and her gum into a bag. “You have yourself a good shift, kid.”

“Yeah, whatever.” 

Emma headed back out to the car and tossed the bag carelessly in the back seat. “Drive.” Graham didn’t question her and pulled away from the gas station. 

“What happened?”

“He’s going to be harder to catch now.”

“Why?”

_Because he wasn’t the same scared kid I saw the first time._ “Either he suddenly grew a spine and a pair or something else has changed.”

_And I’d very much like to know what it was._

**

As usual Regina stalked passed the secretary of the high school and into Kathryn’s office without a word. If Kathryn was surprised this time it was less her friends sudden appearance than the smile stretched across her lips. 

“Well shit. You better close the door and tell me what’s happened.”

“I know how we’re going to save the school events.” Regina saw the surprise, and then the genuine happiness, in Kathryn’s eyes, and it made her smile even more; she probably would have blushed but she glanced away to control her expression. 

“Regina! That’s amazing! What’s the plan?”

“We’re not going to hold four events, we’re going to hold three. We’re going to combine the two talent shows.”

Kathryn looked less enthused. “Okay, but we still,”

“And then,” Regina overrode her, “we’re going to open the talent show up to the entire town and charge admission.” Some of the light returned to Kathryn’s eyes.

“Oh my god, you think that’ll work?”

“I really do. I asked Ashley about what the best acts in the high school talent show usually are. She said Madison Duarte is usually in it twice.”

“Right.” Kathryn was scribbling notes now. “Once with the cheerleading squad and once with her dance team. They usually are quite good, very upbeat and energetic. Most of the basketball team are usually crowd favourites too.”

“Yes. Ashley said Aiden Dennison and the team do some sort of athletic, gymnastic display.”

Kathryn chuckled. “I don’t know if the boys would like it called gymnastics, but yes, they do backflips and stunts and it’s all very exciting, if a little dangerous.” Kathryn paused in her note taking. “You know Ashley has won the show for the last three years in a row? How is she going to feel about all this?”

Regina gave possibly the warmest smile she’d ever shown Kathryn. “The entire thing was Ashley’s idea. She even volunteered to perform twice. Once as her actual spot in the show, and then once at the end as a thank you to the town for showing up and helping to save the school dances. She said she’d sing a bunch of Mad Hatters music.”

The blonde’s eyes widened. “She’s never played his music for a crowd, has she?”

“Maybe her friends, but definitely not for the town. I don’t think she likes to do it. Whether it makes her miss him, or brings back painful memories, I’m not sure.” Regina had decidedly mixed feelings about Ashley playing Jefferson Davies music. Rationally she understood that it was the best way to get the older and middle aged group without children, especially the men, to show up for the talent show. But she also didn’t like the thought of Ashley playing any sort of ode to her deadbeat father. “I asked if she was sure, she said it was no big deal.” Regina shrugged. “I have to trust her opinion on the matter.”

“Regina.” Kathryn couldn’t contain her excitement. “This is huge. This might actually work. And all the kids love the school dance so they’ll be extra motivated to work hard and put on an amazing show for the town.”

“I know. We have a lot of work to do too.”

“Right! Okay.” Kathryn started talking notes again. “We need decorations, lights and electrical…”

Regina was mostly listening to her friend but she’d taken a second to look at her phone and found a text message from Emma. 

[Did Graham mention to you the terrible idea he had?]

Regina bit back a smile and nodded absently to Kathryn as she typed a response. 

[The paperwork crossed my desk this morning. I was going to mention it to you when I saw you. I happen to think it’s a marvellous idea.] Regina actually did think it was a splendid idea. _Can’t hurt the town to have you teaching Graham a thing or two._

“Regina?”

The brunette snapped her head up. “Yes, dear?” 

“Were you even listening to me?”

“I was, yes, but could you repeat the question, please?”

Kathryn narrowed her eyes in playful suspicion but did as she was asked. “I said, what about food and drinks?”

“Well the best thing to do would be get it donated. We’ll have meetings with Granny’s and La Tandoor and Tony’s and see if they’re willing to donate snacks and appetizers that will be for sale. We’ll ask Martha if the bakery will donate some desserts as well.” Kathryn was nodding along as she wrote. 

“We should see if we can get them to do full donations, all proceeds to the dances, but if we have to we can offer half prices and keep track of the money the food makes to give back to the restaurants.”

Regina gave a smirk. “They’ll do full donations. Leave it to me.”

“Good, so with that decided now we need…”

The brunette surreptitiously glanced down at her phone again. 

[I was not made to wear a uniform Regina! Polyester makes me itch!]

[You’re wearing your leather jacket, aren’t you?]

[That’s not the point Regina!]

“Okay that’s it, just _who_ are you texting?”

Regina startled to be caught again. _Damn her for distracting me._ “No one, dear, I’m listening.”

The blonde burst out laughing. “Bullshit! You come up with this amazing idea and we’re trying to plan and you’re completely distracted by someone.” Kathryn gasped. “Oh my god, is it Emma?”

“Kathryn,”

“It is! Oh my god, this is amazing. Emma must have superpowers to get you distracted from work. Are you sexting right now?!”

“Kathryn!” Regina’s jaw dropped. “Of course we weren’t sexting!” The words were a quiet hiss. “Have you gone insane?”

The blonde was smirking now. “But you didn’t deny it’s Emma you’re texting. You’ve been holding out on me, Mills. Tell me everything now.”

Regina shook her head but she wasn’t as bothered as she pretended to be. “We’ve gone out on one date, Kathryn. There aren’t that many salacious details to share.” _But I could tell you about how wonderful and charming and adorable she was._

“Where did you go?”

The brunette rolled her eyes but dutifully told her friend about the Orchard and the Winery; the blonde squealed a little. 

“Oh that’s so fucking cute! Fred has never taken me out on a date that romantic.” She pouted. “So if you weren’t sexting what were you talking about?”

“She was just discussing with me her new appointment as Graham’s part-time deputy.”

Kathryn’s jaw dropped. “She’s a cop now?”

“A deputy, slightly different. But yes. Graham and I agree that it would be foolish not to utilize her skill set during this time.”

The blonde waggled her eyebrows. “You’re very impressed with her skill set aren’t you?”

“I’m leaving.” Regina deadpanned and started to gather her things. “I’ll get in touch with those restaurants we discussed and I’ll continue making plans.” She left the office to Kathryn’s chuckle. 

_Yes Kathryn, are you happy? There’s several things I would like to experience with Emma’s particular “skill set”._

**

Emma wasn’t used to being torn in her decisions. She always knew exactly what she had to do: protect Spencer. And she always knew exactly how to do it: by any means necessary. Emma had lived by that code almost her entire life.

Ever since coming to Storybrooke, though, things had gotten cloudy. The absolute safest thing for Spencer right now would be for them to run like they always have. It would be the shortest stay they’ve ever had somewhere but sometimes these things are necessary.

_But of course Spencer’s happiness has to play a factor too, not just her safety._ Emma couldn’t deny that a lot of Spencer’s reluctance about leaving had to do with Ashley. If Emma thought that it was just her sister with her first serious crush she would have had Old Yeller packed by now and they’d be heading to the other side of Maine. 

But Emma understood that Spencer and Ashley really _connected._ Spencer had trouble connecting with other girls her age and Emma knew it was because of their past. Ashley was the first person that Spencer had really connected to because Ashley was also a little broken. Ashley’s childhood wasn’t perfect and Ashley had some problems now. Emma knew that in a different set of circumstances, one where they hadn’t managed to get away, Spencer could definitely be in Ashley’s shoes or worse. 

_So how could I even possibly think of taking Spencer from Ashley? It would destroy them both…and then there’s Regina._

A part of Emma still thought that getting close to Regina was a mistake. The problem was that she just couldn’t help herself. If Regina was heartbreak waiting to happen then she figured her heart would end up broken because she didn’t seem to be able to walk away from her. 

Emma kicked at the ground as she waited and muddled through her thoughts. She was leaned up against the brick wall of the gas station where Spunk worked. It hadn’t taken a lot of effort to ditch Graham. They had driven Dorothy’s car back to her and picked up the cruiser. Emma had explained that a new plan would have to be worked out regarding Spunk if he had decided to be smarter, _and gotten braver_ , but that it would have to be tomorrow because she had things to do. 

She had made sure that Graham was busy inside the police station and jogged quickly back to Spunk. She had made sure she was leaning up against a blind wall; there was no window where Spunk could see her and no camera pointing in this particular direction. This made it the perfect place for a worker inside the gas station to come out back and have a smoke. Emma had noticed his slightly yellow stained teeth when he’d sneered at her and she pegged him for a smoker. She figured all she had to do was wait him out and he would walk right passed her again. 

Emma heard him coming long before she saw him. When he exited the back door of the gas station he gave a lung rattling smokers cough and Emma shook her head in disgust. _Your lungs are going to hate you in twenty years kid._

Spunk turned the corner and he actually let out a gasp of surprise and startled at Emma standing there, arms crossed, and waiting for her. 

“What the fuck?” He briefly looked like he was going to bolt back for the gas station. He seemed a little more like the scared punk that Emma first met without the safety net of his work between them.

“Hi there, Spunk. Good to see you remember me.” She noticed that he’d had a cigarette between his fingers already and that in his shock he’d dropped it. “Don’t mind me. Pick that up and enjoy your break. I just want to talk to you.”

He did bend down carefully to pick up his smoke but he didn’t light it right away. “Isn’t this harassment or some shit?”

“I just want to talk.” Emma uncrossed her arms and showed her hands like she meant no harm. He slowly pulled out a lighter and lit his smoke; he took a deep first drag and Emma wondered if it calmed him. He kept a fairly significant six feet of distance between them. 

“What do you want?”

“We both know you sell drugs in this town, Spunk.” She said this calmly and lightly. “I took a bag of drugs right off you. Doesn’t matter if the town can’t prove it right now. You know it, and I know it.”

He took another drag and scowled. “So what?”

“I just want to know if you’re a thief as well.” Emma watched carefully as his hand never stilled but his eyebrows furrowed. _Interesting._

“What?”

“A thief, Spunk. I want to know if you’ve ever broken into a home and stolen things.

Now he choked a little and it started a small coughing fit. “What?” He finally gasped. “This isn’t fair, you can’t just start pinning random shit on me!” _Even more interesting._

“It was my house Spunk.” Emma made sure her voice was even. “I have a slight altercation with you and then my house is broken into. And I very much want to find out who did it. You say it wasn’t you?”

“No! No, I swear it.” Spunk looked a little afraid of her again. “Look, I ain’t saying I’ve never, uh, done some shit. But I ain’t never broken into a house. I definitely didn’t break into your house!” 

_That actually seemed pretty genuine._ “You know what the pins inside a cylinder body are?” Emma watched his face carefully but under the fear he just looked confused by the conversation. 

“What the hell are you talking about? No.”

_This kid has never picked open a lock in his life. So, I have to believe that the little drug dealer actually didn’t do it._ “Alright kid, I believe you didn’t break into my house.” Spunk let out a sharp exhale and his relief was plain to see. He took another drag off his smoke. “So let’s talk about your drug dealing instead.” 

He froze with his hand halfway to his lips. He shifted uncomfortably. “My breaks over.” He flicked his smoke away and went to leave. 

“Spunk.” Emma kept her voice light. “I made a fool of you once already, remember. Don’t make me do it again.”

“You can’t touch me.” Spunk spat. “You’ve got nothing on me.” 

_Scared about the accused break-in, brave about the drugs._ “You can’t make that much selling drugs in this small of a town, Spunk. Hell, quit doing that and spend the time you would be selling working here instead and you’d probably come out even.” Spunk grit his teeth and clenched his jaw but said nothing. “Come on, what is it? You think it’s cool to deal drugs? You’re bored? You think the drug laws regarding pot are stupid? You work with someone that won’t let you stop?” Spunk’s lips twitched as he tried not to react. 

“I have to go back to work.” He said again. This time when he turned away Emma let him leave.

_So, Spunk, do you have a partner? Or a boss?_

**

Spencer crossed her legs and got comfortable on the end of her bed. She always laughed a little at the movies that showed people deep in concentration attempting to learn to meditate. They were always outside in the cold or sitting on the hard floor somewhere without any heat.

Emma had always taught her sitting on a bed. The only reason she hadn’t been taught while laying down on her back in bed was because then there was a risk of falling asleep.

Spencer took a deep breath and centered herself. Her hands were resting lightly on her knees and she shifted around until she was settled. She took another deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Spencer knew that the point of meditation was to calm and centre the mind. When relaxed in such a state, a completely different state than the normal conscious mind, it becomes easier to find inner truths and analyze internal conflicts. 

Ironically, the greatest obstacle to meditation is the mind itself. The mind wants to run and race and blanking the mind into stillness is actually quite hard. Thankfully, for Spencer, she had been practicing for years.

She took another deep, slow breath and could practically feel her heart rate calming and slowing. Her first step was to turn her mind inward. Since birth people are taught to look outwards, to focus on external factors and situations, and never are we taught to look in at ourselves. Spencer let her mind loose, focussing inside herself, and let her mind take her where it will.

_“Spencer!” The scream was hoarse. “Spencer, look out! Spencer move! Spencer!”_

Spencer’s eyes abruptly snapped open and she lost the calm she had begun. _No. I don’t want to go there._ She shook her hands out forcefully and shifted on the bed. _I don’t want to remember that._

She took another slow, deep breath; but her mind was against her now. She growled audibly and shifted again. She flexed her hands and cracked her neck. _Why is it the one thing you don’t want to think of is now all your mind can think of? Shouldn’t your brain be working with you and not against you?_

Spencer scowled but, really, she knew better. Meditation was the process of looking inward. For one reason or another her mind thought she needed to relive that particular memory. _But to find peace? Or to find answers?_

The blonde resigned herself to the pain and she started her meditative techniques again. This time, when she turned inward, she let her mind take over.

_She was in the woodshed. It was her favourite hiding place now and she could be found in the wood shed a lot. Only found by Emma, of course. No one else cared to look for her and no one else would even know where to begin._

_She shut the little locking latch on the door and flicked on the flashlight she had brought. She couldn’t imagine any other girls in her class enjoying being in a woodshed. It was dusty and dark and dirty, and probably filled with spiders. But she didn’t care; the woodshed was perfect for what she loved to do here._

_Spencer had known, early in the day, that she would end up here this evening. She had been made fun of at school again and a boy in her class had actually pushed her down. She could have sworn that the teacher watched it happen and said nothing. Spencer had gotten home from school and she had for some reason been home. She had cuffed Spencer in the back of the head for no reason at all; Spencer had managed to mostly duck thanks to Emma’s training and the blow had only caught the back of her jaw and her ear. She had fled before she could do anything worse. Thankfully this time there wouldn’t be a bruise to show Emma; the elder blonde got so upset when Spencer was bruised. She cared more about Spencer’s bruises than her own._

_It was only a little while later when the screaming started. They were yelling at each other and Emma had slipped into her room to make sure she was okay. She’d nodded but she’d hidden her shaking hands from the older blonde. When her hands shook, when it was all she could think about, that’s when she knew she needed the woodshed._

_Spencer had cleared on a spot on the rough dirt floor so she could sit crossed legged easily. Most of the shed was taken up by piles and stacks of wood that had been chopped and cut into pieces. She carefully pulled her prized possession from her pants pocket. It was a little lighter that was pink and blue and had a fairy on it. It also had the letters B-I-C on the side in yellow writing. She had known the nice man at the convenience store wouldn’t sell it to her so she’d stolen a toonie from her and gone to buy a chocolate bar instead. While she chatted with the man behind the counter, who thought her so cute, she’d stolen the lighter from the shelf._

_It had taken her a little while to learn how to use it properly. It was a little tricky to hold it and to turn the little wheel quick enough to get a flame. For days Spencer had only managed to get sparks and when she had finally gotten flame she couldn’t figure out how to keep it going._

_She had it now though. She wished she had someone to proudly show that she could do it with one hand now, but even Emma didn’t like her playing with fire. That’s why she’d left her bedroom and moved her new hobby into the woodshed._

_There was a large plastic bucket of old newspapers inside the shed and Spencer carefully dragged it over beside her. She had been terrified, the first time that she had used up a bunch of the newspapers, that either of them would notice and she’d be blamed and punished for it. She’d fluffed up the bucket so it still looked full and waited with baited breath for three entire days. They never seemed to notice. Newspapers showed up at the house all the time and they all eventually made their way into the bucket._

_Spencer pulled out a sheet and crumpled it into a ball. At first she’d crumpled the newspaper balls far too tightly but she’d learned that leaving them a little looser actually worked better._

_She leaned over her little paper ball and used her little lighter to make a flame; the newspaper ball caught quickly and Spencer watched, right before her eyes, as fire consumed her little paper ball._

_It was like instant relief. The knot in her stomach that had been building since the girls today made fun of her finally seemed to let go. The tension that carried itself in her neck and shoulders loosened and she felt immediately more relaxed. The relief was so profound she almost sobbed even though she was smiling._

_Her little paper ball had burned itself to ashes by now and she reached into the bucket to pull out another sheet._

_She wasn’t sure how long she sat in the woodshed for, making little paper balls and burning them all one by one. Sometimes she took two or even three sheets and made a bigger paper ball to burn. She loved watching the fire grow and spread, taking over everything in it’s path without care; without fear. She found the sight so incredibly mesmerizing and beautiful. Sometimes instead of just watching she moved her hand to the fire to see how long she could hold it there. Sometimes she stuck her fingers right into the flame and watched how the flames danced over her skin._

_Another plastic bucket caught Spencer’s eye and she carefully moved over to the corner of the woodshed to peer inside it; it was more wood. But instead of the pieces that were stacked around her, the ones that were practically the length of her arm and even wider than that, these ones were smaller. Some of the pieces were only the width of her fingers. She smiled widely as she grabbed a handful._

_She set the wood down on the ground in her little pile of ashes and quickly crumpled another paper ball. She set the ball on top of her little wood pile and quickly lit it with her lighter. She grinned almost madly as she watched the flames consume the paper and dance along the wood. It was over just as quickly as it always was though, and Spencer frowned._

_She picked up her pieces of wood, noting they were just barely warm, and tried it again. This time, she balled up her sheet of newspaper and then stuck the pieces of wood on top of it. She took her time and actually had a little bit of fun building a little teepee. She carefully used the lighter, so she doesn’t knock her sticks down, and lit the ball again._

_She notices a difference immediately._

_The ball catches and the fire consumes it as it always does, but now the flames are continuing to dance along the wood. The fire doesn’t disappear like it always does. In a rush, Spencer quickly reaches into the bucket and grabs another sheet of newspaper. Instead of a ball, this time she twists it into a long snake. She holds the snake above the fire and the paper catches quickly._

_She brings the burning snake up and closer to her face. She can watch the fire so much more closely like this. The paper is still burning and the pain in her fingertips, that she hadn’t even noticed building, is suddenly too much and she drops the burning snake with a gasp._

_It lands in the bucket of newspaper._

_Spencer’s eyes widen as she actually hears a whoosh noise and all the newspaper in the bucket quickly catch on fire. Spencer’s eyes are wide as she shuffled closer to the burning bucket. This is so much better. The flames have shot high, higher than the bucket rim, and are almost at her eye level. She can actually feel the heat from the fire now. This is the best fire she’s ever lit. It’s even better than the little pile of stick that are now only smoldering._

_She reaches out to the bucket to move it closer to her but the plastic is burning hot. Spencer yelps and withdraws her hands and scrambles backwards and she accidently kicks the bucket over._

_She perches on her knees as the flaming papers and the bucket, now on its side, continue to burn. She waits for the fire to withdraw and pull away like it always does; it doesn’t._

_The first piece of wood in the stack the bucket is touching is on fire now too. Spencer can’t take her eyes off it. Fire can be different, Spencer learns for the first time. When the paper was on fire it was a really bright, almost flare of orange and yellow that burned quickly and was gone just as quick. This fire, the one dancing along the wood pieces, is a different sort. It isn’t quite as bright and it doesn’t flare; it builds slowly and dances a slower, wavier dance along the wood._

_Spencer is completely hypnotized. The fire moves, slow and yet still consuming, as it takes one piece of wood and then another. It start to move quicker, Spencer realizes, the more pieces that are burning. Her eyes are watering because she can’t even blink; she can’t possibly take her eyes off the fire._

_It has reached the first shelf now and Spencer notices the white jug the sits alone on the wooden shelf. She had no idea what the white jug was doing in the woodshed and she had never paid it any mind before. She didn’t care; couldn’t care now. Not when the fire was calling to her like this. Not when she had finally created something. She had finally done something of note. This fire was powerful; and it made Spencer feel powerful._

_The white jug was consumed by the flames and the sudden whoosh, far stronger than the first time, actually made Spencer scream in surprise. Liquid was pouring down the shelf now; and the liquid was on fire._

_The liquid has splashed and run down an entire wood stack; this fire flared even brighter than the newspaper._

_Spencer’s jaw dropped and her eyes reflected the burning wall she was looking at now. “Oh my god.” Her words were a whisper. She was mesmerized, captivated, enthralled and utterly absorbed by the fire; she was also completely paralyzed._

_“Spencer?” The call seemed like it was coming from far away. “Spencer!”_

_Spencer knew she should turn her head and look. She knew that voice. Emma wouldn’t sound like that for no reason. But she couldn’t look away from the fire._

_“Spencer!” The scream was hoarse. “Spencer, look out! Spencer move! Spencer!”_

_The blonde felt like she had suddenly been hit by a truck and the force knocked her over. Emma was practically on top of her. “Spencer! We need to go! Spencer, come on!”_

_The fear in Emma’s voice seemed to wake her from her trance. She looked around the woodshed and was seeing it with different eyes; the entire thing was on fire. She could feel the heat pressing in from all sides and the air was suddenly choking her. “Oh my god, Emma!”_

_She was scooped up into Emma’s arms and she cried out in fear. She clung to Emma’s strong frame like she was her only lifeline. She could see the fire, the blaze, over Emma’s shoulder and she couldn’t believe that she was the one to do this._

_Suddenly it was like the ground pitched forward at her and the wind was knocked out of her lungs as Emma landed on top of her. She cried out and started crying in earnest. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened but this time it was in horror._

_Emma was on fire._

Spencer blinked her eyes openly slowly and released another deep breath. She hated that memory. Hated remembering how her stupidity and her foolishness had almost cost her everything. 

She hated even more that Emma had never blamed her. Emma had done hours of research before telling Spencer that she had a problem. That she wouldn’t blame Spencer for having the flu or having a broken arm so she wasn’t going to blame her for this. She had spent years repeating to Spencer, repeating it until she believed it, that there was no difference in the kind of _sick_ you were. Sick was sick, and that meant you needed help. 

Spencer stood from the bed as she had a sudden idea about what she needed to do. 

**

Regina was just leaving town hall and heading for the Benz when a flash of blonde hair caught her eye. She wouldn’t admit to anybody that she looked around eagerly in anticipation. When she saw who it was her heart didn’t fall but she did smile in a different way. “Spencer, dear. How are you?”

Regina was surprised that Spencer actually jumped a little; both blondes always seemed so in tune and aware of their surroundings. “Regina, Madam Mayor, hi.”

“You know you can call me, Regina, dear.”

“Right.”

Regina eyed the teen curiously. She wasn’t in jogging gear, which the town was becoming accustomed to seeing the Swan’s in, instead just jeans, a t-shirt and a denim jacket. “Picking up dinner?”

“You caught us.” Spencer smiled. “I was, I had, I was going to do an errand but Emma called and said she was finishing up things with Graham and that I should go get dinner. I called in an order at La Tandoor so we can try it for the first time.”

“Well, La Tandoor is excellent, but I see that I should schedule another cooking lesson soon.” Spencer brightened and it made Regina smile. 

“Yeah, that’d be awesome. I enjoyed the last one.”

“As did I.” Regina tried to debate if she should mention Ashley or not. “I think Ashley did, too.”

“She did, I know she did.” Spencer’s nod was serious. “Have you seen Ashley today?”

The brunette went slightly on alert. “Earlier, but not in the last little while. Why?”

“De Vil called her back in English today, wanted to talk to her. I’m hoping it was good news but, I don’t want to text her and ask in case she thinks I’m nagging.” Her expression was sheepish.

Regina smiled at the care Spencer employed when dealing with Ashley. “You know, she might think it was nagging if I asked, but I think coming from you, she’d just be pleased you care.” 

“Yeah?” Spencer seemed a tad vulnerable and Regina actually reached forward and touched her sleeve gently. 

“Ashley might not like to think so, but I actually know her quite well.” Regina lowered her voice. “She might _really_ not want to think so, but we’re actually a lot alike, her and I. So I know so. Just text her.”

“Okay.” Spencer flashed her a smile. “I will.”

“Good.” _Is it inappropriate to ask a teen about her older sister when she knows you’ve gone on a date with her?_ “So Emma was just finishing up some things with Graham, hmm?”

“Yeah something like that.” 

“Are you proud of your sister? For becoming a deputy?” Regina was shocked when Spencer burst out into laughter. She tried to contain it but the mirth was easy to read in the blonde’s eyes. 

“I mean, sure. Yeah.” Spencer hedged. “It could be handy, I suppose, with the break-in and everything. But it’s still weird.”

“Weird how, dear? That’s she’s working with Graham?” Regina knew that Emma and Graham had some awkwardness about them and wondered if Emma had shared such things with Spencer. 

“Yeah that too.” Spencer shrugged. “I dunno, it’s just weird. We’ve never met a cop we’ve liked yet so I just never pictured her being one.”

Regina kept her smile in place but she mulled the words over. _Who has hated every single cop they’ve ever met? For that matter who can casually make such a broad, sweeping declaration about hating every cop they’ve ever met?_ “I see.” Regina remarked just for something to say. “Well, I’m sure Graham will find her skill set handy.” Regina almost rolled her eyes at herself. _Damn you Kathryn! Don’t think about that in front of Spencer, don’t think about Emma’s supposed “skill set” in front of Spencer._

“Oh, that I have no doubt about.” Spencer laughed again. “Emma’s worked at and trained with the best Bounty Hunters in the world. She’s done some PI work in there too because they’re sometimes so closely related. It won’t take Emma long to figure out what’s going on with the break-in.” Spencer snorted and shook her head. “And then I’m sure she’ll delight in returning the badge to Graham.”

_Emma won’t stay deputy after they catch whoever broke into her home? She didn’t mention anything like that me._ Regina mustered a smile for the younger blonde. “I suppose we’ll have to see, dear. You should run along and get your dinner order, and I’ll get in touch with you soon for our cooking lesson.”

“Great.” Spencer beamed and seemed not to realize that she’d put Regina a little off balance. “Have a good night, Regina.”

“You too, dear.” 

Regina watched Spencer continue towards the restaurant and when she was no longer in sight she got into her car. Instead of starting the engine she pulled out her phone and sent a text message. 

[I just had an interesting chat with your sister.]

The response came quickly. [Regina I swear I didn’t order the fattiest things on the menu! I got Tikka Masala and Spence got butter chicken.]

Regina couldn’t help the smile that crossed her features. [Comforting, however that wasn’t what I was going to say.]

[Oh? Do tell. As an aside, I had to spend a lot of time with Graham today and he spent a lot of that time talking to me about a man named Sydney Glass.]

_Fuck!_ Regina scowled at the phone. _The Sheriff is really trying to push my buttons._ Regina didn’t want to wait too long to respond in case Emma thought she had been thrown by the comment. [Something wrong with the newspaper?]

[Nope. I think Graham wanted to let me know in a very passive-aggressive manner that I have competition ;)]

Regina rolled her eyes. [I assure you Ms. Swan, there is no competition.]

[I wasn’t worried.]

[Good.] Regina’s smile was bashful now and she didn’t stop it because she was hidden by her car’s tinted windows. She put the phone back in her purse and was back at the mansion before she remembered that she hadn’t asked Emma about quitting being deputy.

**

Ashley could think of worse times that she’s had in her life. 

She had to get her appendix out a few years ago and that was a pretty awful experience. Like any sane person she hated her yearly trip to the dentist; she didn’t find parent teacher conferences or meetings with Principal Knight very thrilling either.

This night that was supposed to be a fun hangout was getting close to topping the list. Firstly, there was no Spencer or Aiden. She assumed they were together somewhere and though that grated, still, she understood it. She had been texting Spencer earlier and the blonde had told her quite frankly that she wasn’t going to show up. At first Ashley had been a little dejected but a second message had come through explaining that Spencer just didn’t want to cause problems and that Ashley deserved a night with her old crowd and that the blonde trusted her to make her own choices. 

That had brought a smile to the brunettes face until she realized she was sitting on one of the love seats, alone, and just watching everybody else.

She glanced down at the music quiz she had open on her phone. _Of Pink Floyds four most popular albums, which one was released first?_ Ashley didn’t even glance at the other options after reading and clicking on _Dark Side of the Moon_ as option A. 

A few people called out to her and Ashley flashed them a smirk, half-heartedly, but didn’t get up to join them. Everyone was drinking; it was definitely a given. It seemed like everyone was too nervous to offer her a beer after her few days of sobriety; it also seemed like no one knew what to do with her either. _Why am I even here?_

Her attention went back to the quiz on her phone. _Which guitarist was known for his windmill style stroking of the guitar?_ Ashley skimmed the answers and clicked on _Pete Townsend_ with zero hesitation. 

Ashley heard Madison’s laugh and looked over at her friend. Madison had already been in the hangout when Ashley had arrived and the Latina had come straight over to her. They had talked for a while, and Ashley had been truly grateful for it, but Madison had eventually been pulled away by the other girls on the dance team.

Word had spread, like news in high school always does, that the talent shows were being used to save the school dances. It was pretty much the one thing guaranteed to band the entire school together; no one wanted to lose the one dance tailored just for them due to a lack of funding. Madison captained both the dance team and the cheerleading squad and she was under a lot of pressure to come up with two routines amazing enough to draw in even the townspeople without kids. 

Madison had seemed torn and Ashley had rolled her eyes and told her friend to go. Ashley knew she personally didn’t have to practice for a talent show. Last year she’d pretty much rolled out of bed and walked right on stage, still hungover, and still won it. That didn’t mean that she didn’t rationally understand the hours of work that went into a large routine with a dozen girls. 

Ashley shifted around on her love seat and noticed an entirely different group sitting on the couch beside her. _Jesus Christ. Everybody could have left and come back and I wouldn’t even have noticed._

Her right hand was holding her phone and playing the quiz and the left had been rhythmically snapping open and closing Spencer’s lighter since she’d sat down. _Which band has the single most sold album of all time?_ Ashley was already humming Hotel California before she’d found _The Eagles_ and clicked it for her answer. 

“My father was furious about the fire.”

Ashley glanced up to see Peter Gold’s smirking face entertaining a group right beside the chair she had claimed. 

“He sent me down to check things out and investigate a little bit.”

Ashley snorted loud enough to turn a few heads. When she noticed she had their attention a little bit of the old Ashley Davies reared her head and she smirked. “It was a couple of dumpsters. Although, if the rumours are true your dad probably did send you to investigate. He thinks you belong in garbage right?”

There were a couple arched eyebrows and outright laughs and Peter’s face instantly dropped. “You want to talk about fathers thinking your garbage? At least mine didn’t actually leave me like trash.”

Ashley was on her feet before she even realized she’d stood. Internally she was screaming. _He’s right. Regina fucking told me that my father never wanted me. He never wanted me._ The lighter and her phone were both clenched in her hands. “You really want to go there, Peter Pan?” He scowled at the old nickname he hated. “I already watched one girl drop your ass in a crowd, you want to make it two for two?” Ashley was acutely aware of the lack of Aiden at her back; she wasn’t sure if Peter would actually try to fight her because with Aiden standing there no one had ever tried before. 

The brunette realized something must be wrong when Peter smirked at her. “Ah, that’s water under the bridge now, Ash. Spencer and I had a long talk about that. I apologized and told her that it was a mistake, and she said she was overreacting because she was nervous being the new girl and all.” 

Peter was standing with a smile like he had won and Ashley’s hands were shaking even as they clenched harder around the lighter. She carefully slipped her phone into her back pocket because she feared she’d either crack it in her hand or whip it at Peter’s face. _When the fuck had he spoken to Spencer?_ “Bullshit.”

“Ask her.” Peter said immediately like he’d been expecting it. “Ran into her while I was doing that work for my father that I mentioned. She was out jogging.” He dramatically bite his lower lip. “And god, you know how good she looks when she’s out running like that?”

Ashley didn’t give one second hesitation into stepping forward angrily at him even knowing Aiden wasn’t there to back her up; but someone beat her to it. 

Madison stepped in between them and shoved Peter in the chest with two hands cursing rapidly in Spanish. Peter stumbled a step in surprise and Madison shoved him again. A large crowd had formed by now and a few of the other members of the basketball team had stood up and come over. Madison’s rant was still mostly in Spanish but Ashley could detect enough to know that the Latina was cursing him out for being creepy and trash. The brunette felt a rush of gratitude to her friend but she was on the verge of losing it; her hands were shaking and she desperately needed out of there. 

No one stopped her when she stormed away and, even though she hated herself for it, she snagged a half-full bottle of vodka out of the hands of a girl as she walked passed. 

_What does that piece of shit Gold know, huh?_

Ashley was lost in her own head as she stomped down deserted Maine Street. It wasn’t that late but Storybrooke tended to close up shop pretty early. 

_Don’t freak out, Davies. Don’t freak out._ The lighter snapped closed with almost violent intensity. _Peter’s a fucking snake. You know this. He doesn’t know shit about your father. Don’t let him get in your head. And he might have spoken to Spence but that doesn’t mean anything. You are not to jump to conclusions. Don’t do it, Davies._

Ashley heard a crash and suddenly whirled around and stopped dead. What she was seeing her eyes literally couldn’t compute. She walked closer in complete disbelief. 

She heard another shout from across the street but it was like it was from far away. She blinked and realized her eyes were starting to water. 

_What the actual fuck?_

Ashley heard another yell join the first one but she was still stunned stupid. 

A whole building was on fire. 

The front windows had blown out from the pressure and now they were looking in and seeing the inside totally engulfed in flames. 

Ashley brought the bottle of vodka to her lips and took a deep swallow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this fic at about halfway, it's when I begin the planning process for my next story. I don't write about the same couple twice, so if anybody has a different f/f ship (or even f/f/f) they'd like to see me do, please let me know. If I get a lot of comments about the same couple I'll definitely make that ship my next one -JJ


	12. ...Is Hot

Emma surveyed the damage with clenched hands, a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. Her eyes had stopped watering hours ago and she’d gone a little nose-blind to the smell but the rolling in her stomach had definitely lingered. 

The call from Graham late last night had been terse. Emma had grabbed her new badge and hadn’t even bothered with Old Yeller; she figured it would be faster to run it. The second she stepped out of her home she knew exactly where to run to; the black smoke had just started to billow and Emma could smell the blaze already. The only thing she took the time to do was turn around and demand that Spencer stay put. She knew it would be a nearly impossible order for her sister but she did _not_ want Spencer in the crowd watching a building burn.

That would be like taking an alcoholic to a free wine tasting. 

When Emma had arrived on scene she knew automatically that her first order of business was crowd control. Citizens of Storybrooke were pouring out of their homes in stupefied shock but understandably curious. It was human nature to watch bad things happening. 

The blonde took a cursory glance at the building that was on fire. It was fairly large, though longer than it was wide, and the sign out front that was still surviving declared it to be Tony’s. 

Emma and Graham started working together to push people farther back to clear the street. Graham shouted to her over the noise that firetrucks from Farmington and Bradford were already on their way and that the buildings beside Tony’s had already been evacuated. 

She continued pushing the crowd back and forcing them off the road. Most of the citizens were standing quietly. Some had tears in their eyes and a few were speaking in hushed whispers. Emma heard conversations about the smell and the surprising amount of noise. 

Emma already knew how loud fires were. 

It was then that she caught sight of wild brown curls and Emma immediately, without making it look extremely obvious, headed straight over to Ashley. The brunette seemed transfixed by the fire in a horrified way. The teenager put up no resistance when Emma carefully relieved her of the half-drank bottle of vodka in her hand. She tossed it a couple feet away into a garbage can and Ashley turned her head to watch it disappear. “Who would do this?” Her voice was choked. 

Emma had no answer. Not because she didn’t have one; but just not one that wanted to give right now to the terrified teen. 

“Ashley, go home.” The brunette didn’t move and Emma had to continue doing her job. “Stay back, I mean it kiddo. Do not cross this sidewalk.” 

She could hear the sirens in the air by now and she knew the entire town would stand outside together to watch firefighters put out the blaze. They were in the middle of fighting the fire, soaking the building as best as they could, when the Mayor arrived on scene. 

Emma was impressed by how poised and put together she looked, fully dressed in a business suit and hair perfectly styled; although Emma could read those brown eyes better than most. Regina looked panicked. 

“I would have been here earlier, but I had to wait for Kathryn to watch Henry and,”

“Regina.” Emma lowered her voice. “Regina, it’s okay. Not a single person has been hurt and fire-crews are getting the blaze under control now. It’s just property damage now, okay?” She watched the brunette take in a shuddering breath and she discretely gripped her upper arm. “Take another breath, everything’s okay, and then go do your thing.”

Regina nodded and then Emma watched the Mayoral mask slip back down to conceal her true expression. “Right.”

Emma watched with pride as Regina strut over to the nearest firefighter to be directed to the Chief. 

As the fire got smaller and the night got later more and more onlookers decided to leave and go back to their homes for the night. Almost every person stopped and hugged or said gentle words to one sobbing man in particular and though Emma hadn’t met him before she had to assume he was Tony. 

Emma had spoken to most of the remaining citizens and figured out a list of witnesses she needed to speak to; she grit her teeth that Ashley was on the list as apparently one of the first on scene. 

The fire Chief had released the scene at 6 in the morning to an exhausted trio of Emma, Graham and Regina, which led the blonde to where she was now. Poking her head inside the kicked in door of the burned out restaurant. Emma knew enough about fires to know that the restaurant was a write-off. The outside looked well enough with the exception of the blown out windows but because the inside was completely ravaged Emma knew the structural damage would be immense. When the fire Chief had finally taken his leave they had cordoned off the restaurant and said if Emma and Graham wanted to go inside then they could but it was at their own risk. 

Emma shook her head looking at the, now soaking wet, inner workings of the restaurant. All she could smell was burnt wood and actually food; it had been disturbing that the smell had actually been tantalizing as the restaurant had burned down. 

“Emma.”

The blonde turned and found Regina standing behind her. Emma instantly wanted to move farther away so that Regina wasn’t as close to the unstable building. “What did the fire Chief have to say?”

“That they’d be sending an investigator over in the next few days to look at everything and that he wasn’t prepared to give us cause for the fire yet.”

Emma wasn’t surprised. “Did you tell him about the dumpsters?”

“I did. He said they would look carefully over everything but that he wouldn’t let it influence his decision one way or the other.” 

The blonde actually nodded in agreement. “Good.”

“Emma.” Regina lowered her voice even more and Emma suddenly wished she could pull the brunette into her arms. “What do you think we’re looking at?”

“Too early to tell.” Emma replied honestly. “Yes, we could be looking at arson. It could also be a kitchen fire due to human fault. It could be a kitchen fire due to electrical problems. Could be accidental arson.” She shrugged. “We’ll have to wait for the fire Chief and the investigator.”

“We’ve never had a fire here and now we have two back to back?” Regina’s voice sounded sceptical and Emma worked to keep her face neutral. _Yeah, two since we moved to town. What are the chances of that seeing as it isn’t actually Spencer?_

“We’ll figure this out, Regina.” 

“I believe you.” Regina’s voice was soft and now Emma was really annoyed by the fact they weren’t alone. 

“I’m sure you’re going to have an impossibly busy day, but you still need to take care of yourself.”

Regina smirked. “Meaning?”

“Meaning I’ll be by your office later with lunch?”

“I’ll see you then, Deputy Swan.” Her voice had dropped and she’d spoken in a raspy tone that almost made Emma bite her lip.

“Looking forward to it, Madam Mayor.” Emma tried, and failed, not to watch Regina strut away. The second she was gone Emma realized her mistake. _Shit, I should have told her that Ashley had been practically the first one on scene and that I needed to talk to her. Fuck, I also have to tell her about that vodka bottle._ Emma didn’t blame Ashley for drinking; the statistics for relapsing while trying to quit an addiction can be as high as 90%. For someone trying to quit cold-turkey like Ashley was Emma would be willing to bet it was an accurate assumption. Something as stressful as watching a building in your town burn down could definitely drive a person to relapse.

_But where did she get it?_

Graham wandered over to her and Emma could read the sadness and the exhaustion on his face easily. “I say we finish roping off this area, go home and get some sleep and this afternoon we’ll start tackling the witness list?”

For once Emma agreed with him. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

_And rest assured I will be the one doing Ashley’s interview._

**

As Spencer hurried down Main Street she both desperately wanted to look at the burned out restaurant and knew that she really shouldn’t. _People always look._ She reminded herself as she walked with her gaze firmly on her feet. _It doesn’t mean anything if I look…but I’m not anybody. I_ like _fire. I sometimes_ need _to set fires._

Spencer continued to her destination and didn’t look.

Spencer knew that Emma was at home sleeping and while she didn’t necessarily feel the need to _hide_ what she’s doing she didn’t really want to _announce_ it either. _Emma probably wouldn’t approve although my sister is intelligent and rational enough to hopefully realize that this is undoubtedly a good plan._

The building that she was heading for was right on the corner and boasted the Storybrooke clock tower. She knew it had only opened a few moments ago so she expected the near dead silence when she entered.

As far as public libraries go Spencer had been in both better and bigger ones however she did grant that for such a small, tiny town, their library actually appeared pretty decently stocked. She just caught a glimpse of an auburn haired woman behind the checkout counter but Spencer wasn’t ready to explain her presence to her yet so she slipped away between the stacks and headed for one of the few computers that the library offers. 

The computer was on and open to the catalogue search and Spencer did the first search by memory. The search result was clear: one copy available at this location. Spencer grabbed a piece of paper from the stack and one of the little pencils and wrote its location down. She went back into the catalogue and moved on to the keyword search. She tried various different words and got a variety of results that she scribbled down on her piece of paper. 

She knew that there was a possibility that this was a waste of time. It had been years and years since Emma, and later Spencer, had taken refuge in a library to do as much research as they could. Their research had come from not having access to a computer of their own. _Who doesn’t just Google things nowadays?_ But Spencer held out for a little bit of hope. _Maybe they share a computer with someone and didn’t want to get caught, or they’re a little computer illiterate. Maybe this way they could fool themselves that they were just doing curious research and not trying to figure themselves out._

Once Spencer had a list of everything she could think of she wandered further into the stacks and started hunting her list down. She was pretty familiar with library set up and found all of the books with relative ease. She was hoping for an obvious clue; a post it note holding place on a particular chapter or notes highlighted in certain areas but there was nothing. She wondered if her idea was way off base, if the person had been too careful or if the librarian was just thorough when she restocked her shelves. 

Spencer flicked through the stack of nine volumes and books that she had and eventually gathered them up to take them to checkout. The beautiful auburn haired woman with a nice smile and wearing a yellow sundress with a sweater beamed at her as she approached. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Spencer huffed as she set the books down. “I’m,”

“Spencer Swan.” The woman smiled and Spencer flushed a little at her beautiful accent. “A teenage blonde in town that I don’t know,” she shrugged a little, “I just assumed. And I’ve met Emma. I’m Belle.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Spencer replied automatically. 

“Would you like me to set you up with a library card?”

“No, uh, actually sure.” Spencer figured she would probably use one sooner or later. 

“That’s quite a few books. Research project?”

“Um. No.” _How the fuck do I explain this?_ “I don’t need to actually check any of these books out.”

Belle’s smile didn’t falter exactly, but she did shoot her a puzzled look. “Oh?”

“Okay, here’s thing.” Spencer just decided to play the woman straight. “People were already talking about an arsonist in town after the dumpsters and then this fire last night…” She noticed Belle’s pained look and knew that the fire had to be hitting everyone hard. “I just…had this idea. Look fire-setting isn’t a hobby, it’s usually some type of disorder or trauma that’s manifesting this way.” Belle’s light blue eyes sparkled in intrigue. “I just think that someone might have done research on themselves. Tried to figure out what was going on or what was wrong with them. And they might have come here to do it. Like this book.” Spencer reached for the first book she had looked up, on the bottom of the pile, and showed Belle _Fire Lover: A True Story_. “It’s a great book but it really talks about the science behind fire-setting and deviant behaviour and it definitely glorifies fire-setting as an act, even a bad one. It’s also the very first book that comes up when you type fire-setting into your library’s search catalogue. Then there’s this one.” Spencer pulled out another to show her. “It’s called _Firesetting and Mental Health_. It definitely goes into the mental aspect of what’s going on in a fire-starters head and what mental disorders could be contributing to it.” Spencer flipped to a certain page. “It basically has a checklist of things to pay attention to if you think someone, or you, could become a fire-starter. Same with these.” She spread _Impulse Control Disorders_ and _Mental Health for Teens_ across Belle’s desk. “These both have chapters talking about arson and fire-starting that someone could use as a point of reference.”

“I understand your point about the research,”

“I know you think this might be outdated. Or…you’re a librarian so maybe not. I just, there’s lots of reasons someone might not want to check this all out on their own computer and they might find this better.”

Belle gave her a patient smile. “I actually wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say I understand, but why bring all these books to me?”

“Because I want you to check the histories on them and see who has checked them out.” She held up a hand to forestall Belle’s immediate denial. “I’m not asking you to tell me! I know there’s a confidentiality thing here. But it’s not a breach for _you_ to look. And that’s all I’m asking. Just check the books and if you see something suspicious, like maybe the same person has checked out all of these books, well then, you can take your suspicion to Emma. She’s the Deputy now!” Spencer threw in for good measure. “So there’s no laws or rules broken. It’s just, you know, if you find the time or whatever,” Spencer tried not to let her eyes stray to the completely empty library behind her, “then maybe you can check it out. And maybe it comes to nothing.”

“But maybe it doesn’t.” Belle finished for her softly.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, Spencer. I’ll look into it.”

“Great! Okay, great. Um, I’ll just go then, and leave you to it.” Spencer went to flee and had only made it a few steps before Belle called her name. “Yeah?” _God Emma is going to kill me if she’s suspicious. God Emma would kill me if she knew how much I was talking to someone about fire-starting._

“Don’t you want to get a library card?”

“Right! Uh, sure. Please.” 

Ten minutes later Spencer finally walked out of the library. 

_Please don’t let that all have been for nothing._

**

Regina had a migraine and it was only 9:30 in the morning. She was using pure willpower to ward off her exhaustion, though she hadn’t pushed herself this hard since probably law school. 

The entire town was in a panic and Regina couldn’t even blame them. Everyone wanted answers and Regina didn’t as of yet have any to give. _What do they want from me, I’m not a fire scene investigator?_ However much Regina griped, she was honoured that she was the one the town turned to in times of crisis. 

Today she was especially grateful for her assistant, Jasmine, who had appeared moments after Regina had gotten to town hall and hours before the start of her shift. The brown skinned woman nodded at her seriously, black hair pulled into a careless ponytail with a sheer wrap covering her head and neck. 

“Are you ready for a long one, Ms. Sultan?” 

Jasmine was already pulling out her smartphone; Regina was long used to people who could type faster than they could take notes. “Ready.”

“First, I want you to put in an order at Game of Thorns for at least 50 dollars, send it to Tony with the Town Halls and the city’s deepest sympathies. Include in the note that he and his family should turn to us if they are in need of anything. Next, I need to be in touch with the entire Town Council before lunch, as well as having individual unrelated appointments with Mr. Gold, Mr. Doc and Mother Superior.” Jasmine was nodding along as she typed on her phone. “Next, Graham was informed to contact me the second he is back in the police station and I want that call put through immediately no matter what.” Regina was glad that Emma and Graham had gone home to sleep. While Regina had been awake all night too she had mostly been standing around watching the fire burn with the rest of the town. Graham and Emma had taken their responsibility seriously, _and Emma had looked so attractive doing it_ , and they had been controlling the entire street and even helping the firefighters whenever possible. She would have ordered them to sleep if they hadn’t already said that was their intention. Right now was the time for the politicians; their time would come soon. “Graham is going to need to create a tip line for anyone with information concerning the fires, and we’re going to need to create a concern line as well. Actually, no.” Regina could just see the town flooding her phone-lines with useless information. “Add a message onto the main town phone-line saying that we’re creating a deposit for written concerns and complaints. For now, use anything for the drop box.”

Jasmine was already nodding for Regina to move on. “I’ll cut a slot in some cardboard and tape it to the top of a garbage can with a label on it.”

“Perfect, place it out in the foyer when you’ve got that completed. We’re going to be getting a lot of phone-calls, Ms. Sultan, so you’re going to have to be diligent. Anyone who calls and says they have information about the fire will have to be directed to Graham, tell them not to show up at the police station before one.”

“Understood. When are you going to make your statement?”

Regina sighed and thought as quickly as she could. “Until I speak with the Town Council, tentatively make it for this evening at 7 o’clock. I’ll let you know when it gets confirmed. I won’t need to spend long making a speech anyway because I’ll only be saying that I can’t give out any information until the police and the fire Chief have finished their investigations.”

“Got it, short and sweet with a few fielded questions.”

“Good. And if anyone other than the people I need to speak to call,”

“You’re understandable busy and I’ll take a message for you, got it.”

Regina graced her with a smile. Jasmine was tough and took no shit and she was the best secretary that she’d ever had; Jasmine did a lot for her and Regina paid her handsomely accordingly. Regina also respected that Jasmine’s father was wealthy and that she was choosing to work when she didn’t need to. 

Jasmine gave a final nod of understanding and went to move to her own desk outside the door of Regina’s. The brunette knew that Jasmine understood even the orders that Regina _didn’t_ say; if Henry or Ashley called or showed up Regina was to be informed without delay no matter what. If any call from someone else came in regarding either child then Regina was to be informed immediately. 

A thought occurred to her right before she strode through her office door. “Oh, Ms. Sultan?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor?” 

Regina considered how to word her request. “As you’re aware we have a new Deputy and I am not yet sure how Sheriff Humbert is deciding to split their duties, so for now any call from Deputy Swan is to be put through as the Sheriff’s would.”

“Understood.” Jasmine nodded and gave no other outward emotion at all. 

_God what did I used to do when I employed gossips?_

By 10 o’clock the stack of papers on her desk of things to do and meetings to make was getting so tall even Regina was marginally alarmed. She had just reached for the next file folder when the beep of the intercom on her office phone alerted her to Jasmine outside. “Yes, Ms. Sultan?”

Jasmine’s professional voice came through the speaker. “Mr. Gold to see you, Madam Mayor.”

“Thank you, Ms. Sultan.” Regina steadied herself like she was heading to war. “Please, send him in.” The door opened and seconds later Regina was graced with Russel Gold’s familiar soft step and the thump of his cane. 

“Mr. Gold.”

“Madam Mayor.” 

His face might be attempting sincerity but something in his eyes still said he was enjoying this; enjoying seeing her struggle. _You sick and twisted little imp. Who’s happy about a possible arsonist and a local restaurant burning down?_ “Obviously I wish to discuss the earlier incident with you as the head of the Small Business Council.”

“Of course.” He took a seat in front of her desk and she watched his hands, sheathed in leather gloves, twist around the handle of his cane. 

“I imagine that the fire in Tony’s would qualify for the Disaster Relief Fund put in place for such an event?”

Gold smirked. “Possibly. I’m sure you’re aware the contracts aren’t quite as easy as that. The SBC _might_ be willing to donate to relief efforts, but not until after the determination of the fire has been established. Depending on the cause of the fire it might preclude Mr. Givot from receiving any assistance from us.”

“Of course.” Regina mimicked him lightly. “I’ll be sure to get the confirmation from the fire Chief to you directly.”

He nodded slightly. “I’ll also be checking that Mr. Givot has never missed one of his 2% monthly contributions because, if he has, that also precludes him from receiving Disaster Relief.”

Regina wanted to bare her teeth. _The man just had his restaurant, his life and his livelihood burn down and you’re going to read all the fine print to deny him any money._ Unfortunately Regina knew there was little that she could do about it. “Indeed.” Her office phone buzzed again. “Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb you Madam Mayor, Mother Superior is here to see you.”

Gold was already standing in distaste; his dislike of the nuns was well-known. Regina smirked at him as she hit the intercom button. “Thank you, Ms. Sultan, please send her in.” For once in her life Regina was almost ready to thank the nun; it got Gold out of her office in near record time. 

Gold and Mother Superior passed on the way to her office and they both curtly nodded and gave painful grins; Regina smiled inwardly as she enjoyed their discomfort. 

Mother Superior looked as she always did; plain blue sweater and white collar with a blue overcoat buttoned all the way to her throat. Her short auburn hair was styled demurely and her hands were clasped lightly in front of her. “Madam Mayor.”

“Mother Superior.” Regina gestured to the seat. 

“I’m not sure why you wished to see me before the Town Council meeting.”

Regina always disliked the condescending tone the woman spoke in and she swallowed down her own, condescending retort. “I have a slightly different matter to speak to you about, Mother Superior, while I cover all my bases.” 

An elegant eyebrow rose. “Oh?”

“There’s been a lot of talk around Storybrooke, a lot of gossip, that we might have an arsonist on our hands.” Unlike Gold, Mother Superior did look devastated. What still bothered Regina is that the woman looked offended personally and like she was all-knowing about the actions of the town and its people. 

“A terrible thing.”

“Indeed. I wanted to know if you had information about it.”

The nun gave her a slightly puzzled look. “Excuse me?”

“As much as it might not be my taste, I’m aware that people in town talk to you about their problems. And I would like to know if you have any information.”

Mother Superior’s lips pursed and her eyes narrowed in dramatic outrage. _Over the top much?_ “Regina, I’m quite sure that you can’t possibly be asking me to break the seal of confession?”

_Alright nun, take it down a notch._ “No, I’m not.” _I know better, and this is not the time for a religious debate._ “I know you can’t directly tell even the authorities about something you are told in confession. Even if that confession is about wanting to start setting fires.” Regina adds with some edge. 

Mother Superior graced her with one of her condescending smiles. “Confession _is_ about saving lives, Regina, even the immortal soul of the one in confession. However, if myself or one of my nuns did hear such a confession we would of course try and help the person to understand that true absolution of their sins will come with confessing to the police. But even so, we could not personally tell of it.”

“And I wouldn’t ask that of you. I do know, however, that you and your nuns often times hear things and see things that are not said in the sanctity of confession are not protected by the seal.” If Mother Superior was shocked by her knowledge the woman didn’t show it. “Perhaps you’ve seen someone heading for a mental breakdown? Or a teenager having serious problems?”

She waited another beat before answering. “I can think of no one off the top of my head. I shall confer with the nuns and see if one has noticed someone in trouble and in need of help.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Mother Superior stood then. “I will see you at the Town Council meeting then, Madam Mayor.”

Regina only nodded.

_Two meetings down. God only knows how many to go._

**

Ashley tried not to seem nervous as she walked into Town Hall; it was so much Regina’s territory that in the last few years she had made a point to never go there. _It would be like Regina showing up in the music classroom. There’s just something to be said about home-court advantage._

The brunette walked through the open foyer, glanced briefly at the photographs of older Storybrooke on the wall and continued down towards the back of the building. Jasmine was clearly surprised to see her but she still managed a polite smile. 

“Go on back, Miss Davies. She’s not in with anybody right now.” 

“Thanks.” Ashley awkwardly shuffled through the double doors and watched Regina jerk her head up from the file she was reading. Clearly she hadn’t been expecting anyone to walk through her door without advance notice from Jasmine but her look softened at the sight of Ashley. 

_No, don’t look happy to see me. It’s always harder when you’re happy to see me._ “Hey.”

“Good afternoon, Ashley. You on your lunch break?” Regina glanced at the clock like she couldn’t believe it was that late already.

“Yeah, just started.”

“Is everything okay?” Regina was half out of her seat and Ashley couldn’t really blame her. _For me to be here she must think there’s been a disaster._

“Yeah, no. Everything’s fine. Um, Emma actually told me to come and talk to you.”

“She did? Here,” Regina stood from her desk and gestured for the couch across the room, “come sit. Why did Emma tell you to come talk to me?”

“I guess, uh. I’m on her witness list for the fire this morning, last night, whatever.” Ashley shrugged. “I was one of the first few there and she said she’s interviewing everybody. But she said because I’m a minor she couldn’t interview me without your consent, and that I should discuss the whole situation with you first. Like, what happened and what I should say and everything.” Ashley watched a warm smile cross Regina’s lips and she almost snickered. _Damn, those two have got it bad for each other._

“Well, she’s absolutely right.” Regina nodded in agreement. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I didn’t see anything.” Ashley said instantly. _Did Emma tell Regina about the liquor bottle?_

“Just tell me what happened, then.” Regina’s voice was soft but Ashley could hear a bit of the lawyer in her. 

“I was with my friends down at the court.” Ashley lied about their location. “Peter Gold and I kind of got into it and I wasn’t having fun so I decided to leave and come home. I was walking down Main Street and just saw it.”

“The fire?”

“Um.” _Shit what did even happen?_ “I don’t really know I was lost in my own head. I was mad.” Ashley shrugged. “I think…I kinda noticed the smell first? And then I heard a crash?”

“What was the crash?”

“The front windows blew out.” Ashley remembered whirling around to see them. “I heard shouts, a few other people saw it and they were already yelling for help, I think. I just stood there and watched.”

“What all did you see?”

“Well, we could see in the windows, the entire inside looked like it was on fire. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Ashley voice trailed off and Regina looked like she wanted to reach out.

“Are you okay, dear?”

“Yeah. Fine.” Ashley’s response was quick and automatic. “It was just…crazy, you know? But anyway, yeah. The inside was long on fire by the time I saw anything.”

“And you didn’t notice anything else?”

“Like someone running away from the scene?” Ashley smirked. “No, nothing like that.”

“Alright, dear. I still want to be there when Emma talks with you, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah sure, I don’t really,” Ashley was interrupted by her ringing cell phone suddenly playing the Mad Hatter song _My Wonderfully Wicked Woman._

Regina couldn’t hide her surprise. “Is that…?” 

“My mom.” _Shit, should I not say that to her anymore?_ “Um…”

“Answer it, dear.” She pointed through the inner door of her office to her more private quarters. “I’ll give you two a moment.”

Ashley watched Regina walk away as she slid her thumb across the broken screen of her cell phone. “Hello?” Ashley’s voice shook a little.

“Ashley, darling, there you are.” 

Zelena West’s bright English accented voice was loud in Ashley’s ear. _Why does she speak to me in that accent? She knows I know it’s not real._ “Mom.”

“Well cheer up, darling! You sound so down. Your father and I are in Los Angeles right now. We’re doing a show at the Wiltern, which is fabulous, you know darling, because the last time we were there,”

Ashley closed her eyes and actually let the phone drift from her ear. _I sound down and you don’t even give me chance to say anything? When was the last time I even spoke to you? God when was the last time I spoke to dad?_ She could tell that her mom was still laughing and talking even though Ashley hadn’t said anything. “Mom.” She interrupted abruptly. 

“What, darling?”

“Could I speak to dad?”

“Oh, he’s busy, darling. You know him, he’s writing and he shouldn’t be interrupted.”

“That’s what you said last time.” _And the time before that. And the time before that._

“Well, Ashley, your father is a big star, you know.”

_The Mad Hatters haven’t produced a new album in years._ Ashley grit her teeth and her already frayed nerves snapped. “Right. He’s got to produce more bullshit he hates just to sell albums right?” There was a distinct silence on the phone; Ashley couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken like that to her mother; she wasn’t sure she ever had. 

“What’s gotten into you, Ashley? I don’t think I like your attitude. I call to talk to you and this is how you want to speak to me?”

“You didn’t call to talk to me.” Ashley spat; she almost startled when she realized her words were true. “So what was it? Someone mention kids and you started to feel guilty? Wanted to feel better about yourself?”

“Well that’s not very nice.” Zelena’s voice had changed as well; even her fake accent was slipping. “When your aunt basically called to yell at me and say that you were having problems I didn’t realize she’d let it get to the point of you speaking to me like this.”

Ashley’s jaw clenched. Regina. _That’s why you called me. Because she called and told you to. My “aunt” Regina._ Tears welled in Ashley’s eyes and she refused to let her mother hear them. “You know what, you both can stop pretending that you care about me.” Ashley hung the phone up abruptly but sliding her thumb across the screen gave her no relief; she whipped the phone violently across the room again.

She forcibly clenched her jaw shut to stop the sobs but she could do nothing about the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands were shaking so violently she looked like she had tremors. 

Ashley was only alone on the couch for a moment before arms tentatively, and gently, wrapped around her. 

Part of Ashley wanted to flee. She wanted to flinch away from the comfort and the warmth of the embrace that Regina was offering. She wanted to snap that she didn’t need any help and that she was fine on her own. She wanted to tell this woman that she didn’t need any one.

She didn’t.

She tucked her face, practically her whole body, into Regina’s chest and let the older brunette pull her closer. Regina didn’t say anything, she was just shushing her gently and combing her fingers through wild curls. Ashley’s sobs broke free and Regina just held her a little closer, a little tighter, and began rocking her gently. 

Ashley clenched her eyes shut and took solace from the woman that didn’t have to give any; she choose too even after everything Ashley had done.

_“And you hit the town and you hit the bottle hard_  
_You race 'round in your fancy cars and you blow all your money_  
_On brothels, beds, and bars_  
_Before you know your broken times get hard”_

Regina was still gently running her fingers through Ashley’s hair and humming a tune gently.

_“And now you've hit bottom, all those open doors have shut_  
_And you're hurtin’ stomach's tied in knots_  
_But I know what you're thinking, that you troubled me enough_  
_Nothing could ever separate you from my love”_

Ashley picked up the rhythm of Regina’s humming and slowly her sobbing began to cease and she tried to hum along with her. 

_“I still stand here waiting, with my eyes fixed on the road_  
_And I fight back tears and I wonder if you're ever coming home_  
_Don't you know child that I love you_  
_And I don't care where you've been_  
_Yes and I'll be right here waiting, 'til you come around the bend”_

“I’m sorry Regina.” Ashley muttered directly into Regina’s shoulder where her face was pressed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hush.” Regina kissed Ashley’s head softly. “Everything’s okay.”

_“And I run to you and hold you close, won't let go again_  
_So please come home, please come home_  
_Don't you know child that I love you?_  
_And I don't care where you've been, so please come home.”_

Ashley had stopped crying but she chose not to move yet. She stayed wrapped in Regina’s arms and slowly, as they continued to hum, Ashley’s hands stopped shaking. 

**

Regina was such a conflicting ball of emotions that she wasn’t entirely sure what she was feeling. She wasn’t sure what she was _supposed_ to be feeling. 

There was definitely rage. _How dare that woman call Ashley and make her feel even worse about herself? What kind of woman treats any teenager like that never mind their own flesh and blood. How had she completely destroyed Ashley in a phone call that lasted only two minutes?_ Regina didn’t know if the woman was callous, oblivious or if all the drugs had fried what had once been an extremely intelligent brain but Regina had lost everything she had ever once held for her sister. 

There was also some guilt. Regina knew that Zelena wouldn’t have called Ashley if she herself hadn’t called her older sister and practically demanded that she do so. _Was I meddling? No, I was trying to help._ As many times as she told herself that it still didn’t help. She would do anything to take Ashley’s pain away and she knew that the phone call from Zelena had cause her quite a bit of pain. 

There was also a tiny part of Regina, a tiny part she tried to bury, that was elated. Ashley had finally told Zelena off. Had finally told the woman that she was unhappy and that she believed that Zelena didn’t really care about her. Not only that, Ashley had accepted comfort from _her_. There had been a time when the two were close. _Of course we were close she was my child._ But not even counting when Ashley had been a baby and a toddler. A little while after Ashley had come home from her time with her birth parents they had been thick as thieves. They had spent so much time together in the kitchen having fun and playing and dancing. In the last year or so Regina had thought back on those moments only when she was already in tears because they seemed so far away. _But she let me hold her today. She let me comfort her._ Regina knew that things took time and everything was done in baby steps but she couldn’t help but be hopeful. 

The beep from the intercom jolted her from her reverie and she made sure that her voice was even before answering Jasmine. “Yes?”

“Pardon my interruption, Madam Mayor, Deputy Swan here to see you.”

Regina had to force herself not to instantly jam the intercom button to answer. “Thank you Ms. Sultan. You may send her in.”

The brunette watched the blonde shuffle awkwardly through the double doors caring takeout from Granny’s. Emma was wearing her usual attire with her red leather jacket but now Regina could spy the glittering gold badge at her waist. Regina was so absorbed just watching the woman move that she was completely surprised when Emma dropped their food on the table almost abruptly and was suddenly right in front of her. 

“Gina, what’s wrong.” Emma’s expression was serious and she reached for one of Regina’s hands. “Hey, talk to me.”

Regina couldn’t think of what to say. “Pardon?”

“Regina, you’ve been crying.” Emma’s voice was soft now and she reached up to gently stroke the brunette’s cheek. 

She actually almost let out a bark of laughter at Emma’s sweet gesture and tone. “Oh lord, I didn’t even realize.” Regina self-consciously reached into her purse for her compact mirror. “Thank god you were the first person to come in here. I’m not sure what I would have done.”

Emma seemed to be realizing that the situation was not dire nor an emergency and she slowly pulled away after stroking the back of Regina’s hand once more. “Are you okay now? What happened?”

“Oh just,” _everything,_ “a very emotional conversation with Ashley.” 

“Ah.” Emma gave her a slightly grim look. “She told you about the liquor bottle?”

Now the bark of laughter that Regina let out was borderline a sob. “No, actually she didn’t.” _Oh god, please no. Oh Ashley, honey._ “She got a phone call from Zelena and it really upset her. She let her mother have it for the first time, probably ever.”

“Oh.” Emma looked both upset and sheepish. “God, I’m sorry Regina. I didn’t mean…” She toed at the ground with her boot. “I’m sure she was going to tell you. And I don’t yet know what happened because I wanted her to talk to you first.”

“She did. She told me she was one of the first to see the fire. But,” Regina’s voice got a little more morose, “she didn’t tell me she had been drinking.”

“I don’t know anything yet.” Emma insisted. “All I can tell you is the few facts I know. When I got to the scene I saw Ashley standing watching the fire with everyone else. She was holding a half finished 26er of vodka in her hand. However, I spoke to her and eventually ushered from the scene and she wasn’t actually drunk. And I’ve seen her drunk.” Emma rolled her eyes a little. “I just mean, she wasn’t acting like a drunk person and I couldn’t smell it on her or anything. Just…I really think we should give her a chance to explain.”

Regina wasn’t sure what to react to first, whether it was the implication that Emma thought Regina would fly off the handle at Ashley without hearing her explanation first, or that Emma had said the word we. _Is she referring to the fact that she’s a deputy now and has seen proof of my underage kid drinking? Or is she referring to the fact that she’s been basically parenting and mentoring Ashley during their runs now?_

Normally Regina would have snapped. The Regina of even two weeks ago would have snapped. _But this is Emma. Emma who so clearly cares about Ashley. Emma who has walked through my defences apparently effortlessly and who treated me so sweetly._ Regina could concede that prior to Emma and Spencer in her life she might already be on her way to Ashley to confront her. _And I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be the person that Ashley trusts to comfort her._

“Okay.” Regina almost surprised herself with her soft reply. “I’ll let Ashley tell me about it.”

“Good.” Emma gave her a wide grin and offered a hand. “Now c’mon, you look like you could definitely use a lunch break.” Regina let Emma pull her to her feet and lead her over to the couch and coffee table. Emma pulled out two drinks of iced tea and a couple packages. “Ruby told me you drink iced tea when you don’t drink something hot with lunch. And I didn’t want to get you the absolute healthiest thing on the menu so I got you a cheeseburger.” Regina arched an eyebrow and Emma winked. “Okay I got you cobb salad. I knew you wouldn’t let me eat a cheeseburger in peace either so I got a chicken club.”

“Excellent.” Regina grinned. “Did you manage to get any sleep?” Regina asked after a few bites of her lunch.

Emma waved her hand nonchalantly. “Yeah I can sleep pretty much anywhere at any time. It’s a skill I’ve developed over the years from Bounty Hunting. Sometimes sleeping in Old Yeller is essential.”

While Regina couldn’t ever imagine sleeping in a car, even the spacious backseat of the Benz, she nodded at Emma’s answer. “Good thing.” Regina wasn’t too surprised when Emma managed to demolish her lunch and was leaned back on the couch and smiling softly as Regina finished her own salad. 

“Feel better?” 

“Yes, thank you.”

Emma snorted. “You haven’t slept at all, have you?”

“Well,” Regina tried to defend herself, “I wasn’t as busy during the fire as you and Graham and there was a mountain of paperwork that needed to be started as well as,”

“Okay.” Emma interrupted. She shimmied back on the couch a little. “Come here.” She held her arms out. 

“Excuse me?” Regina spluttered. _She couldn’t possibly mean…?_

“Come here.” Emma gestured again. “You get an hour for lunch and we’ve been twenty minutes. Just come lay down and close your eyes for even half an hour.”

_Does she mean, like, on her?_

“Regina.” Emma smirked. “My arms are getting tired. Come here.”

The brunette slowly toed her high heels off and then pulled her legs up on the couch. She moved a little closer to Emma and the hesitantly laid herself flush with Emma’s torso. The blonde had pulled her leather jacket off before she’d sat down and so Regina was met with only the soft, worn cotton of her plaid shirt. Emma was leaned back against the couch arm and Regina was laid on her upper body, with her face against her chest and shoulder, and her legs curled slightly on the couch cushion. 

Emma’s arms came around Regina to hold her gently in place and Regina, quite without her permission, felt her body sink into her. Emma was soft, but solid, and warm as well as comforting. Regina’s eyes closed instinctively. 

“That’s it.” Emma whispered. “I got you.”

Regina actually believed that for the first time, perhaps ever, somebody actually did. 

**

Spencer noticed the exact moment that the black Porsche pulled into the parking lot of the playground; she also noted the extra minute or two that it took Ashley to actually get out of the car. _She’s nervous._ Spencer could only think that it was cute. 

Ashley finally walked over to where she waited on the park bench and Spencer took the time to run her eyes over her. She was wearing cute black and red boots and skin-tight black jeans with an oversized dark blue hoody that looked like Olympic apparel. 

Spencer stood and opened her arms as soon as Ashley was near and the slightly shorter girl basically just walked into her arms. Spencer folded her arms around her and tucked Ashley’s head into the side of her neck. Ashley mumbled something into her skin and Spencer chuckled. “What was that, Ash?”

“Does Emma know you asked me to meet you?” She mumbled a little bit louder.

The blonde’s heart filled with warmth. _Of course even now you only care about Emma’s rules._ “She knows, Ash. She doesn’t have a problem with you and me alone in a park in the daylight.” Ashley looked pained and Spencer didn’t understand it. She rubbed her hands soothingly down Ashley’s back. “What, baby?” 

“I slipped.” Ashley whispered.

“What?”

“I slipped. I drank. And Emma knows it. I’m surprised she trusts me with you at all.”

“Oh, Ashley.” Spencer hugged her closer. “It’s okay. Almost everybody slips and you were trying to quit in the absolute hardest way. Come here.” Spencer pulled the brunette down onto the bench with her but kept them intertwined. “What happened? Was it because of being at the hangout?”

Ashley shrugged her shoulders and didn’t say anything; Spencer’s heart cracked a little. “Talk to me, Ash. I told you I was here to help you and that I’d be there for you. Let me be here. Please?” 

Ashley’s eyes were swimming with tears when she looked up. “It was stupid. I shouldn’t have gone to the hangout. Madison was busy trying to figure out the talent show and I was just sitting there bored while people drank around me.”

“That must have been very difficult.” _Fuck, maybe I should have gone to the stupid thing._

“It was whatever. And then Peter Gold and I kind of got into it.”

“Well he definitely isn’t worth it. What did you get into it with him over?” Ashley mumbled so more and Spencer couldn’t decipher it. “What was that, baby?”

“Kind of…over…you.”

“Me?”

“He just started saying this shit that the two of you had run into each other and got to talking and settled your differences and he made it sound all…intimate or whatever.”

_Intimate?_ Spencer sighed. “Ashley,”

“I know!” Ashley declared over anything Spencer was going to say. “I trust you, okay? I’m definitely the untrustworthy one in this relationship and I definitely trust you and I wasn’t going to be weird about it or anything, like I’m not accusing you of anything I swear. He just pissed me off, that’s all. And we started saying shit about each other’s fathers and shit.” Her voice trailed off now and Spencer stroked her fingers through Ashley’s hair. 

“I’m sorry he brought up your father. I know that’s a delicate subject.”

Ashley shrugged. “To be fair I kind of started it.” She mumbled. “I went to deal with Gold but Madison got there first.”

“Madison?” Spencer clearly couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice and Ashley smirked. 

“I know you guys didn’t hit it off or whatever, but Madison is really a great friend. She definitely took Gold apart for me.” The smirk slipped. “I just wanted to go and I stormed out of the hangout but I stole some girl’s bottle of vodka first.”

Spencer gave a comforting smile. “And then you got drunk?”

“No.”

The blonde stilled. “Hmm?”

“I didn’t get drunk. That’s when I found the fire. I only had one sip. It was in my hand and I didn’t even really think about it. I was too frozen.”

“Ashley.” Spencer’s voice was filled with awe and Ashley looked up in surprise. “Ashley that’s amazing.”

“What?” She looked adorably confused. “I drank, Spencer. I failed.”

“Oh honey, if that was you slipping you’re doing amazing.” Spencer leaned forward and kissed Ashley sweetly. When she pulled back the brunette looked a little less confused and a little more dazed. 

“Oh.”

“Oh, Ash.” Spencer couldn’t resist leaning forward and kissing her again. This time Ashley raised a hand and cupped the back of Spencer’s neck gently. She deepened the kiss, stroking Spencer’s tongue gently and leaning harder into her.

Spencer reached out a hand and placed it on Ashley’s thigh to balance herself; her fingernails dug into the material of Ashley’s jeans. She hummed in the back of her throat as Ashley twined her fingers into her hair. 

Ashley kissed her a little harder, and Spencer matched her passion, as Ashley moved a little more like she was going to press Spencer onto her back on the park bench. Spencer could already imagine it; spread out underneath Ashley, back starting to arch, breathing increasing as Ashley trailed her lips down her neck, across her throat and nipping her skin as she headed down towards her collarbones- but the rough press of the metal arm on the park bench killed the image. 

Spencer pulled her lips away and Ashley loosened her tight grip on Spencer’s hair. 

“Sorry, uh, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Spencer pecked Ashley’s lips gently. “This is just not a very comfortable park bench.” Spencer teased and Ashley blushed. 

“Right. Not comfortable. Uh, right. Sorry.”

Spencer chuckled and kissed her again, just barely teasing Ashley’s bottom lip with her teeth before pulling away. “No sorry. Just a, not right here.”

“Got it.” Ashley moved back a little so she wasn’t pressing Spencer into the park bench but she stayed so her side was flush against the blonde’s. 

“And for the record,” Spencer smiled while she intertwined their fingers, “Peter Gold is a little creepy. And he definitely creeped me out when I ran into him.”

“Down at the dumpsters?”

_Fuck. Shit, I definitely shouldn’t have gone there._ “Yeah, I guess I couldn’t help being curious.” Spencer gave a shy smile. “Gold said he was down there for his dad, or something.”

“Yeah probably.” Ashley raised their interlocked fingers and kissed the back of Spencer’s hand even though she blushed the whole time. 

They were content for a moment to sit together in silence; or rather Spencer was quiet and she was just internally arguing with herself. _Don’t do it, Spence. You’ve made some very questionable decisions lately so don’t do this. Don’t make it worse. But wouldn’t anybody ask? Wouldn’t a normal person or a caring girlfriend ask?_

“Hey Ash?” The brunette hummed to show she was listening. “Are you alright from last night? I mean, what was it like? The fire?”

Ashley sat up a little and she was looking off into the distance like she was seeing it again; Spencer could practically see the firelight dancing in those brown eyes. “It was…god completely surreal. I couldn’t even, like, I didn’t, couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing right away. The windows had just blown out and it was so fucking loud. Did you know fire was loud?”

_I did, actually._ “I can’t even imagine.”

“I wasn’t so much, scared, as just like…stunned. Completely stunned.”

Spencer hummed now. “And the fire itself, how bad was it?” _Oh my god, Spencer stop, this is not healthy._ “I mean, people have been saying it was pretty bad.”

“It was insane. Completely insane. We were mostly watching the fire through the windows. The outside of the building wasn’t like on fire yet or anything, just the inside.”

_Not a conflagration then._

“But the roof was basically on fire by the time they got it under control.”

_Still a total-loss blaze though._

Spencer cleared her throat. “I hope you were being safe though, Ash. You couldn’t like…feel the heat or anything could you?” _Too far Spencer. You’ve gone too far._

Ashley pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to worry, I was fine. Emma made sure I was far enough back too. I could feel the heat, though, the whole street probably could. Actually, I’m super happy that you weren’t there. I would have been worried for you.”

Spencer snuggled closer to the brunette. 

_I would have been worried for me too._

**

Ashley decided to leave her car in the parking lot once Spencer had finally insisted she needed to leave. Ashley had held her back several times with more kisses and cuddles but finally an arched eyebrow from the blonde had made her let go. 

_God I adore that girl. Where the hell did she even come from?_

Ashley cut through the park and headed down for the basketball court. Usually at least someone could be found there and it was where the adults in town usually believed them all to be. Ashley was hoping to find Aiden. While there had been apologies and things had been declared good Ashley hadn’t seen much of her friend since then. He had been staying with Spencer at school and Ashley was still supposed to be keeping her distance from the blonde. _Excluding just now when I almost accidentally groped her on a park bench._ That, coupled with Ashley’s new found lack of a social life had made it nearly impossible for the two to see each other. 

The basketball court was a fairly simple paved court complete with a few bleachers. Ashley approached with her hands in her sweater pocket and she smiled at the sight of Aiden. A few guys were playing three on three and Aiden was easily the tallest even among the other actual team players. 

A few girls were on the bleachers watching and cheering and Ashley purposefully sat down on the other bleacher by herself. Aiden caught her sitting down and offered a shy save and a smile and Ashley winked at him. 

The game continued for a moment and Ashley watched with mild interest. She wasn’t one for school spirit but she knew the rules and actually preferred watching them play outdoors here by the court. 

Ashley glanced around, noticed the other girls whispering and pointing at her, and she rolled her eyes. Turning away from them was how Madison caught her eye. The Latina was off by herself in the grass and dancing alone. Ashley knew she was doing choreography for the talent show. As much as she teased her friend Madison was actually very talented. It had been years ago that Ashley promised if she made it big first that Madison could be her back-up dancer. 

“Ash?”

The brunette hated that Aiden still sounded hesitant around her. She gave him a grin and patted the bench seat beside her. He jumped up pretty much in one bound and the bleacher rattled. Aiden had been playing as a “shirt” of shirts and skins but his muscle shirt was clearly already wet even as he pulled it up and used it to wipe his face. 

“Keep your sweat on that side of the bleacher, Aid, that’d be great.”

He gave her a dopey grin and shook his head madly like a dog trying to shake off water. Ashley squealed and slapped him in the arm. “You’re disgusting.”

“You love me.”

“Whatever.” Ashley was smiling though. 

“What have you been up to? I tried texting you today?”

“Ah, yeah.” Ashley blushed a little. “My phone’s a little broken and temperamental right now. I’m working on a new one. And nothing really, but I uh, did just meet Spencer at the park for a bit.”

Aiden grinned happily. “I’m glad you guys are good, really. I uh, definitely think she’s good for you Ash.”

“I think she’s good for me too.” _Too good for me, probably._ Aiden’s head perked up when his name was called the guys were gathering back on the court. “Duty calls.”

“Apparently. Text me later though alright, or when you get a new phone.”

Ashley grinned. “Got it. Now go kick some ass.”

“Yes ma’am.” Aiden saluted and jumped back down onto the ground off the bleachers easily which made Ashley roll her eyes. 

“That was good to see.”

Ashley grinned at Madison. “You been eavesdropping?”

The Latina didn’t deny it. “You know me.”

“I do.” Ashley patted the space beside her again and Madison climbed the bleachers much more demurely than Aiden had. 

“So. I gotta apologize or what?” Madison was blunt and Ashley smiled. She knew her friend was talking about convincing her to come to the hangout. 

“Naw, _chica_ ,” she mocked the Latina again, “we good.”

“Good. You fall off the bandwagon?”

“Just a slip.” _According to Spencer anyway._

“Good. Maybe one day you’ll get to the point where you can enjoy just a couple again.”

“Maybe.” Ashley wasn’t holding her breath about it though. She had been able to ignore the vodka last night mostly because everything other than the fire had been blocked out. If Regina hadn’t been there during her call with her mother, she wasn’t sure what would have happened after. _And getting my daily dose of Spencer helped._

“So you and Spencer.” Madison fished some more now. _Good old Maddy._ “How’s that going?”

“It’s…still complicated.” Ashley admitted. “Emma’s opinion is really important to me.” Madison didn’t necessarily get it but she nodded her head anyway. 

“Meh, complicated is fine. Anything else is dull.”

“Amen.” Ashley tipped an imaginary drink in Madison direction and she chuckled. 

They watched the boys playing for a moment and when they cheered for Aiden he started showing off a little more. He used his height to dunk a few times and even his teammates were shaking their heads and laughing. 

“So.” Madison eventually broke the silence. “Sleepy Storybrooke has a fucking arsonist.” 

“Apparently.” Ashley remembered the heat of the fire and almost shuddered visibly. She remembered the vodka in her hands, _and Emma throwing out the entire bottle_ , and she automatically reached into her pocket for the lighter. She flicked it open and closed a few times. 

“Can you fucking imagine?” Madison’s voice was almost disbelieving.

Ashley almost tried not to think about it but the running footsteps, the bouncing basketball, all the noises around her she was listening to created a rhythm that she interpreted into music automatically. _What would it fucking be like to be an arsonist?_

_“When I was a child, I'd sit for hours_  
_Staring into open flame_  
_Something in it had a power_  
_Could barely tear my eyes away”_

“You uh,” Madison sounded hesitant and that actually made Ashley look up and meet her eyes, “you said that lighter was Spencer’s, right?” 

Ashley’s eyes narrowed and the Zippo closed with a snap. “Yes.” She drew the word out. “Why?” When Madison shrugged she asked again, a little more forcefully. “Why, Madison?”

“Look, I’m just saying that a bunch of girls in the locker room were talking, alright? Nothing has ever happened in Storybrooke, like _ever_ , and suddenly Swan moves to town and we’re got an arsonist?” Madison shrugged and Ashley’s blood boiled. 

“You think _Spencer_ did this?”

Madison held up her hands defensively. “I’m just saying that people are talking about it. I mean everyone heard the rumour that their parents died in a fire. And I didn’t even fucking tell the girls that Spencer gave you a fucking lighter when she doesn’t even smoke.”

Ashley glanced down at the worn and tarnished metal in her hands. “Good thing you didn’t mention it, because it has nothing to fucking do with anything. She saw my hands shaking, okay? She gave it to me to keep my hands occupied.”

_“When I was 16, my senses fooled me_  
_Thought gasoline was on my clothes_  
_I knew that something would always rule me_  
_I knew the scent was mine alone”_

“Yeah, I know.” Madison tried to be placating. “And I’m just saying that’s a little fucking weird, alright?”

Ashley wanted to snap but now she couldn’t help hearing Spencer’s voice in her head. _I mean, what was it like? The fire? And the fire itself, how bad was it?_

_“All you have is your fire_  
_And the place you need to reach_  
_Don't you ever tame your demons_  
_But always keep 'em on a leash”_

“I’m not accusing alright, Ash?” Madison tried again. “I’m just saying it’s bizarre. Next you’ll be telling me that she was down at the scene of the first fire or some shit.”

Ashley completely froze. _But Spencer_ was _at the scene of the first fire…_

_“When I was grown I thought it ended_  
_When I knew love's perfect ache_  
_But my peace has always depended_  
_On all the ashes in my wake”_

Ashley felt the Zippo lighter slip through her fingers. 

**

Emma sighed as she looked down at the witness notes spread across her coffee table. She had managed to do every interview from the first at scene except for Ashley, who she was doing tomorrow with Regina present. So far, all of the witnesses had said the same thing. 

As near as she could figure Archie Hopper, the town shrink, had been out walking his dog and had been the first one to actually see that Tony’s Restaurant was on fire. Archie carried no cell phone however and he had run to the first residence nearby, the home of the Tillman’s, and gotten them to call for help. Michela Tillman had immediately phoned 911 and Michael Tillman had run across the street to see if anyone needed help. 

Archie’s and Michael’s statements were completely in line with the other. Archie said that he had been able to smell the fire as he stepped outside and that Pongo had led him right to Tony’s. The building didn’t look damaged yet but Archie could see the smoke and the fire and that’s when he ran run to the Tillman’s. 

Michael said that he had started shouting as he ran across the street for the building. As he was making his way across the street the windows of the restaurant had blown out and he had ducked briefly for cover. He said it seemed like right after that the apartment building with three families, one of them Tony Givot’s, had come out front saying that no one was left in their building. Tony had assured Michael that no one would have been in the restaurant and that he had locked and closed it himself. Michael went on to say that he and another citizen, Harold Floyd, had run to the other side of Tony’s to check on the Apothecary but it had seemed deserted. 

Emma had checked with Harold Floyd, who lived in the apartment beside the Givot’s, and he claimed they had heard the yelling and smelt the smoke and all immediately gone outside. By this point Floyd said there was maybe a dozen citizens out on the street and every time he looked there were more and more. 

Emma had carefully interviewed Archie, Michael and Floyd but they had nothing that could be of serious use to the investigation other than a distinct timeline. Archie said he always does Pongo’s walk at 10 and Michael claimed he had just started watching the episode of CSI that airs at 10 o’clock. 

_So the fire was already ravaging the inside of the building at say 10:15. God too many variables._ Emma knew there were many different ways to start fires. _An incendiary device could have been used and planted which means the person could have planted it as early as an hour before, maybe even more. Simpler methods, like starting an actual fire inside, take hold much more quickly and the arsonist could have been near Tony’s even ten minutes before._ Not for the first time Emma bemoaned the lack of camera’s in Storybrooke. She knew, better than most, that arsonists like to see the damage that they cause. They like to watch their fire burn; they have to. 

_So where were you? Did you loop back around and join the crowd of people watching the restaurant burn down?_ It was definitely a possibility. Emma had gotten Archie, Michael, Floyd and the Givot’s to all write down, to the best of their recollection, who the first 15 or so citizens watching the fire had been. Emma had cross referenced all the lists and come up with 20 names who she was now going to re-interview and possibly investigate. 

_Were you somewhere close by and watching from a window?_ Emma had walked the scene of the fire again after she left Regina at Town Hall and taken note of every window that she figured had a decent vantage point of the fire. She had a list of 2 houses, 4 apartments, the Apothecary and the Library, which all had windows the arsonist could have watched out of. Emma started checking the owners and renters of the building. She would have to start asking people if one of those people had been noticeably _absent_ from the crowd watching the fire. 

_Is there somewhere else you could have been?_ Emma laid back, got relaxed, and let her mind wander. She knew that trying too hard to make a new idea come to her was like trying to grasp at a fading shadow; impossible and frustrating. Instead she let her mind go and take her where it will, like a relaxed form of meditation.

She had only been relaxing for a moment when there was a knock on her door. She instantly catalogued that it wasn’t Spencer, Ashley, Regina or Graham because she knew all of their particular knocks. 

Since the break-in and the emergence of a fire-bug Emma had gotten a little more careful, _or paranoid_ , and once again had her gun on her person. When she stood for the door she carefully checked the safety, tucked it into the back of her pants and covered it with her plaid shirt. 

Her eye once again fell to the empty end table when she reached for the door. _God we have to do that soon._

She was surprised, but not unpleasantly so, to find Belle standing on her doorstep. The auburn haired woman was wearing a yellow sundress and a white sweater. “Deputy Swan.” Emma noticed her nerves immediately.

“Belle.” Emma smiled lightly. “We’ve gone drinking together, I think you can still call me Emma.”

“Right, of course.” Belle fidgeted a little. “It’s just, I came to see you in a professional sort of capacity, actually.”

Emma’s eyebrows rose and she stepped aside to let Belle enter. “Please, come in then. Can I get you a drink or something?”

“No thank you.” 

Emma gestured her to the couch in her living room and she carefully gathered her notes on the fire into a pile and flipped them over. “What can I do for you?” 

“Well. You see.” Belle didn’t look like she really knew where to start. “I had a visit from your sister, Spencer, this morning at the library.”

Emma controlled her expression only through sheer willpower. “Okay.”

“And she had this idea. And it seemed a little farfetched at first but the more I thought about it I thought she might be on to something.”

“What was her idea?”

“She had a list of books. Ones about psychology and deviant behaviours, about addictions and impulse control issues. Things like that.”

“All things that could pertain to an arsonist.”

“Exactly.” Belle was nodding along know as she got more into the explanation. “She was right when she said there could be countless explanations as to why someone wouldn’t want to do research about arson on their own home computer. And I never judge what books the teenagers are checking out. I barely even notice and if I did my mind would never go to anything other than research.”

“Okay.” Emma could see where this was going. “Spencer gave you a list and you looked into the checkout histories of them?”

“Yes. Not until Spencer had left and I’ve told no one else, of course.”

“Of course. Legally as the proprietor of the library you’re allowed to check. What did you find?”

“That over the last two months someone _did_ check out almost every book on Spencer’s list.”

Emma leaned forward. “And who was it?”

“Calvin Spunketti.”


	13. Come On Baby...

Ashley felt like she was the main character in a cheesy B-rate spy flick that was going straight to TV. No matter how many times she told herself to be chill she couldn’t help but over-acting while she waited for Emma to join her for their morning run. 

She was constantly moving around, first leaning against the car door with her arms crossed and then sitting on the hood. She tried doing her warm-up stretches but she was too fidgety to concentrate. _Jesus Christ you’re going to blow it, Davies. You’re just asking subtle questions to your extremely protective like mentor woman if her younger sister who you’re sort of kind of dating and totally crushing on is a pyromaniac that is maybe setting fires around town. No big deal right?_

“Ashley?”

For the second time Ashley nearly jumped off the hood of her car at the sound of Emma’s voice. “Jesus fuck Christ!”

Emma gave a small smile. “Sorry, kiddo. You looked like you were off in your own world.”

“Yeah, right, yup.” _Jesus calm down Davies!_ “Um, stretching, right? Yeah. Stretches.”

“You okay, Ash?” Emma asked balancing on one foot and pulling her foot up behind her.

“Yeah, totally. Fine.” Ashley thought she didn’t sound okay even to her own ears. 

The blonde sighed and switched legs. “Thought you were passed not talking to me?”

_How am I supposed to talk to you when all I want is a straight answer about Spencer? Fucking Madison putting ideas in my head!_ Ashley hated herself for even entertaining Madison’s idea about Spencer but now that she had let the thought into her head she couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

She started jogging beside Emma almost mechanically. _How do you bring something up casually?_ Ashley thought that even her run seemed weird and she was oddly conscious of how she was swinging her arms beside the blonde. _Do my arms always swing like this? Should I be running faster?_

“Kiddo.” Emma sounded genuinely concerned. “I know that this has been a crazy couple of days for you, but I thought you knew by now that holding in anger doesn’t accomplish anything? In fact holding it in is what usually makes you explode.”

_Angry?_ Ashley glanced around and realized they were beating their best time and were much further along the path than they usually would be. Now that she was aware of it she could feel the burning in her calves and thighs. “I’m not angry.”

Emma seemed surprised. “Really? I thought the conversation with your mother was what was making you run this hard?” Now Emma seemed a little suspicious and Ashley almost stumbled. 

_Fuck me sideways._ She had forgotten. Between the fire and Spencer and Regina’s comfort after that disaster of a phone-call Ashley had pushed her mother completely from her mind. “Well. I’m not _angry_ angry at her.” Ashley finally said as she slowed their pace a little. “I’m,” _fucking pissed now that you’ve reminded me actually_ , “gutted. I guess.”

Emma nodded. “That’s completely understandable.” 

“She just…I feel like I was blind to how they treated me and now with everything that happened with Regina it’s like I can suddenly…see it. And, feel it. Or whatever.”

“That makes sense, kiddo, but remember. You were a kid. You weren’t supposed to be able to feel then what you’re feeling now. Unfortunately this was something you had to grow into.”

“Grow into being abandoned.”

“Maybe what you should focus on instead is the people that didn’t let you down.”

Ashley sighed. “I wondered how long it would take you to jump on the Regina bandwagon now that you’re dating her.”

“Hey.” Emma spoke almost sharply. “I’m on your side. On these runs especially, I’m on your side. But sometimes you’re stubborn,” Emma grinned, “and when you are I need to be blunt.”

“Got it.” _Should I say something now?_

“You know, there’s something else we should probably talk about.”

_Oh my god, does she know? Am I being that obvious?_ “What?” 

“Ashley.” Emma sighed. “I won’t talk about the fire until later with Regina, but we can talk about that liquor bottle.”

“Right.” _Fuck!_ “Um. Spencer told me as far as slips go that it wasn’t the bad?” Ashley said it like a question. 

Emma gave her a look before facing the trail again. “You know I’m a Bounty Hunter, right kid?” Ashley gave the blonde a puzzled look and she chuckled. “Someone gets arrested, they jump bail, they run, they lie, they flee. I have to track them down and they fight, finally I drag their ass back and you know what happen to them?”

“They go to jail?”

“Right. Same person confesses to their crime and pleads guilty. What happens?”

“They still go to jail?” Ashley guessed.

“Right. But probably for less time and it’s an easier process.”

Ashley smirked. “You think I should confess to Regina about relapsing. Even though our deal says she could send me to rehab for it.”

“I think you won’t know what she’ll do if you fess up, but I can guarantee if she finds out another way, it’ll be worse. And I think you need to give her some credit. She’ll understand it was trying circumstances and that you feel gutted right now. Maybe she’ll take it easy on you.” 

“Maybe.” _Now, Davies! Slip something in now._ “So, how about you?” _That’s what you got you fucking moron?_

“How about me what?”

“Did your parents ever make you feel gutted?”

Emma was silent for several moments and Ashley focussed on her breathing for the first time during the run; with the anxiety she had trying to probe Emma her heartrate was going through the roof. 

“Yeah.” Emma eventually said. “They did.”

“What happened?”

“I guess, they were the complete opposite of yours.” Emma smirked a little wistfully. “They were extremely…strict. And very rarely were they ever completely happy, you know? If I got an A it should have been an A+, kind of thing. Anything I accomplished was never good enough. It might sound completely clichéd, but it sucked.”

“No doubt.” 

“Anyway this one time I had done this really great thing. This amazing thing. I saved a kid who was trouble. Actually saved a life.” Emma sighed deeply. “My mom, she was a cop. And I thought she’d be so proud. I thought it would finally be the thing that got me some recognition and some praise.”

“It didn’t?”

“Nope. And to use your word, I was gutted. Just, completely gutted. But, you want to know who was amazingly proud? Who never let me down?”

“Your dad?”

Emma barked out a laugh. “No, kiddo, Spencer. The people that hang around, the people that continue to show they care, those are the people who matter, Ash.”

_God Davies, what in the fuck were you thinking? How could you even think that about Spencer? What the fuck is wrong with you? Both Swan girls have done_ everything _for you and this is how thank them? By thinking Emma is covering up Spencer being a fucking pyromaniac? You are a complete piece of shit, Davies. You do not deserve Spence. You don’t deserve them._

“But Spencer and I don’t really like to talk about them anymore. The good or the bad.”

“Right.” Ashley stumbled and Emma actually reached out to steady her. _Right, because their parents died in a goddamn fire. Fucking hell. Oh God you shouldn’t do this Davies. This is not right. You should trust them. You have to trust them._ “I um,” Ashley cleared her throat, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure, kiddo.”

“I just…didn’t want to bring it up with Spencer in case it brought back bad memories. But I also wanted to ask if she was okay. You know, fires randomly happening in town…” Ashley sneaked a look over at Emma but nothing could be gleamed from her expression. 

“I mean, fires aren’t our favourite thing to talk about, sure. But I’m sure she’s fine, kiddo. At the same time, maybe don’t bring up the fire too much unless she brings it up first.”

_She didn’t seem to have any problem bringing the fire up first._

Ashley clenched her teeth and cursed Madison for the rest of the run. 

**

“I’m glad we finally made time to do this.” Spencer smiled across the metal table at Emma. 

“Me too. It was driving me nuts.” 

“Is that what’s had you distracted?” Spencer dipped her head to attempt to wipe the sweat off her face with her equally sweaty bare shoulder.

“One of many.” Emma rolled her eyes but didn’t elaborate as she withdrew the blowpipe from the secondary furnace carefully. The professional glassblower of Playing With Fire! watched them carefully but was content to let them operate the tools. 

They had left Storybrooke early, right after Emma’s run with Ashley, to make the drive to Rockland. Emma was fine with them ditching out of town for a little bit because this side trip was important to them. They had explained to the shop owner when they had arrived that they were willing to pay for an entire session although they really only needed use of the tools and furnace. They had been given a brief quiz to prove that they knew what they were talking about, and they explained that they just wanted to replace a simple piece they had previously made that had been broken. 

The glassblower had watched them carefully as Emma first heated the tip of the blowpipe and then gathered molten glass on the tip from the furnace. The heat inside the shop was immense and both sisters’ arms were already covered in a sheen of sweat. Spencer knew her job and waited while Emma set the molten glass down on the steel tabled and rolled it over and over carefully by turning the blowpipe in her hands. 

“So what else has you distracted?” Spencer probed cautiously while the elder blonde carefully blew into the blowpipe to cause the molten glass to bubble. 

“Little bigger?” Emma questioned.

Spencer, from the other side of the table and closer to the actual piece eyed it carefully. “Yeah, one more, I’d say.” Emma lifted the blowpipe and dipped the bubbled glass once more into the molten inside the furnace and gathered it around what she already had attached to the tip. When Emma rest it back in the furnace for a moment she glanced over her shoulder at Spencer.

“What isn’t distracting me right now, kiddo? Apparently the town we moved to is falling apart.”

_Shit, fuck, she can’t be thinking about breaking our deal and moving._ “I know but…”

“I’m not saying we’re moving away.” Emma smirked. “We should, but…fuck, I know we’re invested now. Ashley said some things this morning and I know how you feel. I just can’t…” Emma let her voice trail away as she pulled the blowpipe back out of the furnace to roll it and blow air into the glass again.

“Good size now.” Spencer commented as she watched the glowing orange glass inflate carefully. She knew how hard Emma was probably struggling with her decision to stay in Storybrooke but she felt a rush of affection for her sister because of it. 

“Looks good?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Go get the colour.” 

Spencer went to the bench to find the buckets of powder that colour the clear glass and a tray. She poured in blue and purple powders and mixed them in the tray into incomprehensible swirls. Once she had done that she took the red powder and sprinkled a line or two with a few splashes of colour into the tray as well. Spencer didn’t really have to think as she worked; all glassblowing shops were incredibly similar and this wasn’t their first time. 

“Okay, here.” Spencer watched as Emma carefully rolled the glass on the end of the blowpipe into the powder in her tray. “Looks covered.” Spencer told her after a moment and Emma nodded and returned the blowpipe to the furnace for the powder to bond to the glass. “Remember our first time doing this?”

“Yes.” Emma smiled. “Such a good day turned to shit and then came out pretty alright.”

_Spencer had been excited for this day for a week ever since Emma had mentioned that they were going to skip school and do something fun for Spencer’s birthday. Emma had told her that she deserved some fun. Spencer had been elated that morning when Emma had taken her to the boardwalk and they had ridden rides and eaten candy and Emma had even won Spencer a swan stuffed animal from a game where she had to throw balls at moving targets. Spencer had never had such a good time in her entire life. Now she was sitting up on Emma’s shoulders and holding a cotton candy. Every third piece she ripped off she would reach around and fed to Emma. She giggled whenever her sister playfully bit at her fingers._

_Emma turned around and Spencer looked up the boardwalk when she suddenly saw_ her _partner. Spencer whacked Emma on the shoulder and hissed “Voldemort” in a terrified voice. She could only imagine what would happen if the tall, bald man caught them and brought them to_ her. 

_Emma had tried to flee but she had to carefully get Spencer down from her shoulders and from the shout behind them they knew that they’d been spotted. Spencer threw her cotton candy to the ground in terror and Emma shouted for her to run. She followed Emma’s orders without question and took off running, weaving in and out of the crowd of people on the boardwalk and ignoring the shouts from other people as well as Voldemort behind them. Spencer tried her best to keep up with Emma’s longer legs running beside her and she knew her sister was running as slowly as she could._

_Emma had told her once in this situation that their only option was to run and get away. If he caught them they would be handed over to_ her; _and Spencer didn’t need any instructions about what would happen to them then. But if they escaped, Emma didn’t believe that he would even tell_ her _for the embarrassment of letting them get away._

_Spencer had never been so thankful that Emma had been training her and making sure she was athletic for her entire life. She sprinted with easy efficiency, breath even, arms pumping as she raced up the block. “Spencer, right!” Emma yelled from behind her and Spencer, at the last second, practically skidded around a corner. “Right again!” The younger blonde raced as fast as she could to make the next corner; she prayed Voldemort was far enough behind them that he wouldn’t see._

_The second they spun around the corner Emma grabbed her basically by the scruff of the neck and shoved her through the front door of a business. Emma directed them farther into the shop, away from the window, and Spencer just tried to regulate her breathing. The shop-keeper looked startled to have two kids run into his shop, sweaty and out of breath, but he simply cleared his throat and asked no questions other than, “Are you here for our beginner lesson?”_

_Spencer glanced around and noticed all the beautiful glassware and glass pieces on shelves. He was pointing to the back of the shop where Spencer could just make out a sign that said “Furnace”. Emma only hesitated for a second. “Yes, yes we are.”_

“Yes it did.” Spencer smiled. Emma was in the process of moving their molten glass, now coloured, to a mold on the floor. She held the blowpipe vertically and Spencer carefully closed the iron vase mold around their creation and Emma blew into the blowpipe carefully as she turned the pipe around and around in her hands. When Spencer, using her foot, toed the mold open Emma pulled out the glass now in vase shape. 

Spencer went to the bench to gather her tools; finally it was her turn to do something fun. When Emma laid the blowpipe down on the steel table, so that their creation was in the air, Spencer took the jacks to it. They were a metal pair of large tweezers that were used to shape the glass. Spencer carefully inserted the tip of the jacks, which she was holding closed, to the top of the vase as Emma gently rolled the blowpipe. With a perfectly steady handy Spencer let the jacks separate and she created the hole at the top of their creation. 

With her other hand Spencer brought the square, a thick pad of wet newspapers, to the glass and rubbed it down carefully. Sweat was dripping down her face now and she blinked her eyes several times. Emma’s arms had a sheen of sweat and Spencer had caught the glassblower eyeing her sisters many tattoos. 

When it was almost finished Spencer looked up and caught Emma’s smirking face. “It’s tradition.”

Spencer laughed as she brought the blunt edge of the jacks down onto the glass and Emma did only a half turn.

“Oh.” They heard the glassblower who had been supervising them come closer. “Oh you guys were doing so well until then. Would you like me to show you how to fix it?” He was eyeing the slightly misshapen one side of the vase critically. 

“No.” Spence grinned at him. “That’s how it’s supposed to look. It’s unique now. Totally ours.”

“Right.” Emma smiled as well. “Now if someone ever breaks it they couldn’t replace it without us knowing.” 

The glassblower looked like he didn’t understand but they were paying customers and he merely shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re happy.”

Spencer smiled at Emma. 

_For the first time I think I could really be completely happy. If I have Emma, and Ashley and Regina I think things could really be okay._

**

Emma hesitated when she turned off Old Yeller’s engine in the police station. She had dropped Spencer off after their road-trip to Rockland and now she was meeting Graham because he’d called her and said he had information; she just wasn’t sure if she was going to share her own information back or not. 

What Belle had brought her was not proof. It was not even evidence; but it was certainly compelling. Emma had asked if she could accompany Belle back to the library to be shown the books that Spunk had apparently checked out and read. Belle had instantly agreed and when she’d retrieved the stack of books from behind her desk where she’d stashed them she’d even helped her flip through them. 

Spunk was not in school was that cancelled out any possibility of homework, and it seemed impossible to argue the fact that Spunk was doing research. Each book had a chapter on arson or impulse control and addictions. The blonde carefully thought back to every run in she’d had with the young drug dealer, from the first scared kid to the defiant punk and the one swearing that he hadn’t broken into her home. _Could that kid be a pyro too?_ The problem, Emma knew, was that it was impossible to look at someone and consider if they were a pyro. _Because who would look at Spencer and see a kid who was compelled to start fires?_

Emma finally stepped out of the car and headed for the building. _I’ll see what Graham has to say first and then I’ll decide if I’m going to tell him or not._

The Irishman was already waiting at his desk, chair turned around and facing her. “Afternoon, Deputy.” He smiled widely. 

“Sheriff.” Emma was on alert. _He looks happy._ “What’s up?”

“I know how we’re going to arrest Spunk.”

Emma blinked in surprise. _You did some real police work? Maybe I’ve got you pegged wrong, Graham._ “How so?”

“I asked Sidney Glass to look into something for me, because he’s better at the research end of things, and he found out that the town house Spunk lives in? Only one of the boys actually rents it and has his name on the lease. The other kid and Spunk only pay him for use of their bedrooms.”

Emma had already cottoned on. “So we only need the one boy’s permission to enter the house.” 

“Exactly.”

Emma was trying to think ahead. “If Spunk’s bedroom door is closed we can’t open it…” She noticed Graham still grinning. “What?”

“The kid, Mark Planter? I knew he was a good kid from a good family so I explained that we’d heard some things about Spunk and were just trying to sort it out. I mentioned it would be helpful if Spunk’s bedroom was open when we got there.”

Emma thought it was a little foolish to tell Spunk’s roommate about their plan, but she conceded she didn’t know the kid or the town quite like Graham did. 

“So?” He seemed to be waiting for praise. Emma couldn’t come up with a reason not to go so she nodded.

“Good work. Let’s go check out the townhouse.”

Graham jumped up like he’d already been ready to go and was just waiting for her. “Great, I’ll drive.”

It took them only minutes to get back to Spunk’s section of town and to pull up in front of the townhouse. “He at work right now?”

“Yeah, I checked, and Mark confirmed he was the only person home.”

Emma took careful note of the house. She wished she had her gun on her but she didn’t legally have a gun license for this state and Graham thought she was working on the process of getting one and wouldn’t let her carry until then. 

Graham knocked on the door and another 20 something year old kid opened it instantly like he’d seen them pull up. Mark Planter’s brown hair was possibly longer than Emma’s and pulled into a neat bun at the back of his head. “Sheriff. Deputy.” He nodded politely and let them in. “Spunk’s bedroom is the last one down the hall.” He pointed it out to them.

“Thank, kid.” Emma nodded back. The house was pretty much exactly what Emma would expect from three young men living there. The living room was dominated by a large TV and they had several game consoles just sitting on the floor. The posters on the wall ranged from half-naked girls on motorcycles to beer logos and while the house was tidy and not disgusting she didn’t think it was often thoroughly cleaned. 

Emma and Graham walked together down the hallway and noticed Spunk’s bedroom door was wide open as promised. They both crammed into the doorway without stepping over and scanned everything they could see. Spunk’s bed was only a mattress on the floor but he did have sheets that he’d pulled up in an attempt to make it. He had a smaller TV on a folding table and another game console on the floor. He had a simple wooden desk under the window and it held a few books and loose papers. 

“There.” Emma pointed. The closet doors were also open and on the floor Emma could just make out the distinct shape of a bong. 

“Got him.” Graham smirked. He stepped into the room then and pulled rubber gloves out of his back pocket. Only then did he reach into the closet and pull the bong out. “Certainly smells like weed.”

Emma had turned to the desk instead and after gloving her own hands searched through the drawers. She didn’t immediately see any drugs but her eye was caught by a circular metal grinder with a peace symbol on the front. She unscrewed the top and then showed Graham. “This is only small possession though.”

They continued to search the entire room but only found Spunk’s personal supply. “Where’s the stuff he sells?” Graham wondered.

“Not sure. But possession is still enough to arrest him and then hopefully he’ll tell us something useful.” _Hopefully._

“Alright. You go to the gas station and sit on Spunk to make sure he doesn’t know anything is up. I’ll go to Albert Spencer and get an arrest warrant. Shouldn’t take long.”

Emma nodded in agreement. Once again she couldn’t find a reason to argue; it made sense that Graham, who knew the District Attorney already, go and get the warrant while she waited for him.

_I think I’d rather see what mood Spunk is in anyway. And maybe when we’ve got you in holding, kid, you’ll be willing to talk about a few more things than just this bong and your hidden stash._

**

Regina felt like she ought to just move permanently into her office for the amount of time she’d spent there; and also give Ms. Sultan another raise because for nearly every minute Regina had been there so had her secretary. 

There was enough paperwork involved in her job when the entire town was happy, and now that they were in one of the worst crises the town had ever had, well Regina’s office was starting to look like a disaster.

Not to mention that she hadn’t actually seen Henry since the fire and Kathryn had been babysitting him since then as well. She had spoken to her little prince a few times on the phone and he said he understood that she was busy but she wondered how much of an effect the recent town disasters were having on him. 

Regina’s office phone rang then and she resolutely glared at it for the length of two rings before sighing. Her office phone only rang if Jasmine patched the call through and Regina had learned to trust the opinion of her secretary. “Mayor Mills.” Regina answered professionally. _Please just be Henry calling to chat, or maybe Emma._

“Mayor Mills? This is Fire Chief Kevin Kune, we spoke at the scene of the incident at Tony’s Restaurant.”

“Of course, Chief,” Regina sat up straighter and reached for a pen and paper, “thank you for calling me back so swiftly, Chief Kune.”

“Kevin, please.”

“Regina.” The brunette extended a curtesy she didn’t always offer. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“I understand that ma’am, and I’ve called now to explain myself.”

The Chief addressing her politely and formally even after she’d approved the use of her name made her opinion of him rise. “Please do.”

“While what I said was true, we don’t give out any opinions until we’ve done a thorough investigation, there are some things that are obvious for any firefighter to detect looking through the wreckage and something my men and I all noticed at your scene.”

“And you didn’t inform me of this information right away, because?” Regina didn’t sound sharp with the man, just professional.

“In my experience ma’am, people who set fires generally hang around to watch the whole shindig, if you know what I mean. We aren’t in the business of giving away information that the arsonist himself could overhear.”

Regina’s blood ran cold. _No, no this can’t be happening. We can’t actually have an arsonist._ Regina cleared her throat. “Is that your opinion then, Chief? That Storybrooke has an arsonist?”

“Well, we’re still going to do a more serious investigation ma’am, but in my opinion, yes. You do. An amateur one at that.”

The pen in Regina’s hand was shaking as she tried to prepare herself to jot down notes. “And you based this conclusion on?”

“The fire in Tony’s had two different points of origin, one in the kitchen and one in the dining room. First of all, natural fires don’t have two different points of origin. And obviously a kitchen fire wouldn’t originate in the dining area. My guess is that your arsonist tried to set a fire in the kitchen and found it harder than they thought in an industrial kitchen. Not much back there actually burns unless you’re willing, or have the knowledge, to unhook the gas or the propane. They tried to start a fire in there but it probably wasn’t taking or was taking too long. So they moved into the dining room. All the tables and chairs in that room were wooden, and it wouldn’t have taken too long to get a fire going.”

Regina realized she’d frozen and hadn’t taken any notes. “So then what?”

“Then they left, likely. The fire in the kitchen would have eventually taken, probably hit the gas line and started a blaze. Then there were fires raging in two different rooms. Even though they eventually merged we can still see the pattern that let us know the differing points of origin.”

“I see.” Regina tried to find something to ask while struggling to breathe properly. “And this says amateur to you?”

“Well, I suppose not necessarily. But most arsonists try not to get caught, try not to have arson investigations started. Someone more knowledgeable would have known having two points of origin would have pointed straight to them. But I suppose it’s possible that this arsonist simply doesn’t care.”

“But you think it’s more likely they didn’t know what they were doing.” It wasn’t really a question.

“Right. Probably their first really destructive public fire.”

“Are we talking about a teenager, then?”

“Could be. Children account for more than one-third of fires in this country, but that isn’t a working profile. It’s just too hard and too early to tell.”

“I see.”

“I’ll have my investigator contact your Sheriff and we’ll have to move forward from there.”

“I understand. Thank you very much for calling me and letting me know.” Regina completed their pleasantries and hung up the phone. _Someone is really intentionally setting fires in my town. Someone is intentionally setting fires in the town where my children live._

“Regina?”

The brunette actually jumped and her startled reaction caused Ashley to jump. “Oh my goodness, Ashley.”

“Sorry.” Ashley held up her hands. “Jasmine said you were on the phone and just to be quiet when I came in.”

“No, dear, that’s fine I was just…thinking about something.”

“The arsonist?”

Regina gave her a wry smile. “Something like that. What can I do for you, dear?”

“I just had to uh, come talk to you about something.”

“Of course.” Regina gestured to the low couch. _At least we don’t have to start avoiding my couch like we’re still avoiding the piano._ “Is this about the interview with Emma later?”

“No. Not really. Um, I sort of…didn’t lie to you, but, didn’t tell you the entire truth about something.”

_Oh my god, is she really about to fess up about the liquor bottle on her own? Of course Emma was right._ “Go on.”

“Look.” Ashley was looking around the room and at anywhere but her. “I just, when I left after Gold and I got into it I swiped a liquor bottle off of a girl.” Ashley scrunched up her face. “Clearly I wasn’t thinking straight because it was vodka and I don’t even drink that nail-polish remover.” Regina cleared her throat. “Right, not the point. Um, I took it and I wasn’t even drinking it, I was just angrily walking down the street. And then…”

“And then?”

“And then I found the fire. And I took a swig of it.” Ashley was speaking at her boots now. “And that was all I had. I can’t…promise that it wasn’t because I didn’t want any…it was probably more to do with the fact that I was like stunned stupid watching Tony’s burn down.”

_She’s really scared. She really thinks I’m about to send her to rehab._ “Ashley.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you for telling me.” Ashley’s jaw dropped and Regina smirked a little. “It took a lot of guts to come here and tell me that. And I know you slipped, but I think it happens. If it happens again we’ll have to talk about better coping methods for you, and better plans as opposed to cold-turkey.”

“Right.” Ashley said slowly. 

“Ashley. I’m not mad. I mean it, I’m proud of you. And thank you for telling me.”

“Sure.” Ashley got up to leave the office and gave Regina a small smile. “Um, Thanks, Regina.”

“You’re welcome.”

_Baby steps still feel pretty fucking good to me._

** 

When the brunette got home and locked herself in her room with her laptop Ashley wasn’t entirely sure what she’d get for results when she typed “how to spot an arsonist” into a Google search but an article on WebMD wasn’t it. She clicked on the link anyway. _Most reported arson cases are about money._ Ashley rolled her eyes. _Well unless Tony is broke and there was some money involved in a dumpster fire I don’t think that’s what happening here._ She continued skimming the article. _The vast majority of profiled arsonists have a below-normal IQ._ That one made Ashley laugh out loud. _Spencer is one of the smartest kids in class._

Ashley shook her head when she realized what she was doing. _You are the worst some-what almost girlfriend on the planet Davies. You are actually sitting in your room trying to figure out if the girl you like fits the profile of an arsonist._

She had almost exited the page when another paragraph caught her eye. _The last type of fire-starter would be the intelligent teenager that has been effected by physical abuse as well as neglect and humiliation in their youth._

Ashley frowned at the screen. _That isn’t Spencer, is it? Intelligent but traumatized? It can’t be…but then again…I don’t really know all that much about Spencer’s childhood._ She grit her teeth remembering Madison’s words about the gossip about Spencer; and how she lost her parents in a fire. 

_Okay, that could be traumatizing. Losing your parents like that could fuck you up. But why would someone who lost their parents start setting fires? Unless…_ Bile actually rose in Ashley’s throat and she pushed her laptop away. _No. Davies. You have gone too far. You’re a piece of shit. If Spencer ever finds out you even considered this she’ll never speak to you again…_

The laptop screen taunted her. _Okay, so she’ll never find out. This is just for your peace of mind Davies._ She pulled the laptop closer again. _This is just so you can prove Spencer is not a fucking fire-starter._

Ashley glared at the search engine and hit the button for news before her fingers stilled on the keyboard. _I don’t even know where they fucking lived when it happened._ She finally typed in “house fire deaths” and the year she knew Spencer and Emma had become orphans. 

After five minutes of trolling through pages Ashley had turned her iTunes on so her laptop played music while she searched. 

_This is ridiculous._ Ashley wasn’t even sure how much time had passed but her playlist had ended and she needed to click onto another one. She had a couple of news articles saved because they were vague enough to all be possibilities. _What am I even searching for? I need more information. What do I know about the Swans?_ She had tried adding the name Swan to the search bar thirty minutes prior but that hadn’t worked at all. _What do I know about them? C’mon Davies, what do you know about your sort of girlfriend and your mentor?_

Ashley highlighted the search bar and typed in “house fire deaths police officer child protective service agent” along with the year. She started reading the first news story that appeared: _The small hamlet of Oakshire was rocked by tragedy early Saturday morning when a fire broke out in a home and claimed the lives of two individuals. Deacon and Kara Thelmly were killed in the blaze that spared the lives of the married couples six foster children.  
The fire began sometime late Friday night and the house was already engulfed in flames by the time fire-crews arrived to battle the blaze. Fire Chief Henry Allet says the fire was a preventable tragedy. “We have determined that the fire began in the woodshed on the property and then spread to the backyard deck. Once the deck was in flames it wouldn’t have taken a lot of wind nor a lot of time for it to spread to the home. It’s truly a tragedy that the fire wasn’t noticed in time to save that couple.”  
Deacon Thelmly was a dedicated and respected worker for Child Protective Services. Deacon was commended several times for truly caring about his work and the children in his purview. “You can tell he truly cared.” Karen Whent, Deacon’s boss at CPS, stated tearfully. “Most people don’t take their work home with them, but he definitely did. And when they had nowhere else to go, he took children home with him too.”  
Deacon and Kara fostered six children, ranging in age from 4 to 18, and all of their children survived the fire that claimed their home and their foster parents. “It’s just so sad.” Karen continued. “Those children believed they had found a forever home and it, as well as their parents, were just taken away from them.”  
Chief Allet stated that the couple were clearly heroes. “The couple passed away from smoke inhalation and all of their children made it out alive. That says to me like they were more focussed on saving their children than themselves. Any person who gives their life to save children is a hero in my book.”  
Kara Thelmly had already been classed as a hero. She was a dedicated police officer for the Willowbrook Region Police. Police Chief Jarrod Pulwaki says he isn’t surprised in the slightest that Kara gave her life for her children. “I’m devastated. I’m in shock. I’m upset and sad and every other thing you can imagine but I’m not surprised. I lost an incredible officer who would do anything to serve and protect, I lost a good and loyal friend but Kara was a mother first. And I’m not surprised that she would give her life in trying circumstances to save her children.”  
Deacon and Kara were pillars of the community, says neighbour and friend Sharon Cross. “At first when we moved in and realized that our neighbours had so many foster children we were a little hesitant, but Deacon and Kara were the best of people. We never had a problem with them, or their children, and they were just such amazing people. Really amazing people.”  
Kara’s partner on the force, Bud Milton, was unavailable for comment. “Losing any officer is like losing a sibling.” Chief Allet declares. “But losing a partner is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anybody.”  
The hamlet of Oakshire is now understandably in outcry over the events of last Saturday. Police Chief Pulwaki says the issue is being investigated thoroughly to the extent of both the Willowbrook Region Police and Fire Departments best abilities. “Chief Allet has informed us that we are likely looking at non-malicious arson.” His definition of the classification means that someone did intentionally set the fire but they did not do it with the malicious intent to cause property damage or injury.  
“Most of these circumstances are children.” Chief Allet informs the public. “Children and teenagers who are playing with fire and find themselves in a very serious situation they cannot control very quickly. Fire is unpredictable. I’ve been on the force for 37 years and I can’t perfectly predict a fire. Fire has a mind of its own and it is extremely dangerous.”  
Police Chief Pulwaki is urging anyone with information about the fire to please call the toll-free hotline.  
For now, the little of hamlet of Oakshire has been left to mourn the loss of their towns most prominent and beloved couple._

Ashley stared blankly at the computer screen. _That has to be them. Mother a cop and father a CPS agent. But six children? And foster siblings at that?_ Ashley remembered the few things she’d read about arsonists. _Most fires are set by children. What did it say? Intelligent and traumatized._ She could hear her own voice asking Emma if she’d ever been gutted by her parents. _“They were extremely…strict. And very rarely were they ever completely happy, you know?”_

Ashley closed her laptop with a snap. She could picture Spencer’s sweet face handing her a lighter and telling her she understands about impulse control and shaking hands. 

_Maybe they never found out who set that fire because they were looking too far away from home._

**

Emma watched Calvin Spunketti pace in his holding cell. It still seemed funny to her that the police station was so small it meant the two individual holding cells were basically in the main room of the station and Emma could watch someone in the cell from her desk. 

Spunk had been pacing the entire time since they’d brought him in. 

His arrest had gone without issue. Emma was watching the gas station when Graham arrived in a surprisingly short amount of time with a signed warrant. “That was fast. District Attorney clearly didn’t give you any problems?”

Graham had looked positively confused. “I told him I needed a warrant signed.”

Emma blinked. _And did he not ask for a report on your evidence?_ She turned away from the Sheriff. She proposed the same plan to arrest Spunk that she had employed the last time and they merely waited outside for Spunk to take his smoke break. He had stepped outside, smoke between his fingers, to both law officers waiting. 

Spunk had put up very little fight when Graham handcuffed him and directed him to the car. Emma had watched him carefully to try and see how the kid was feeling. His shoulders were hunched and his head was down. He didn’t look completely defeated but he wasn’t confident either. 

They had processed him and fingerprinted him and he hadn’t put up any sort of a fuss; but he didn’t give Emma that quiet and cocky vibe either. He had started pacing the second the bars had clicked shut and Emma had been watching him for almost ten minutes. 

There were many mantras about people in jail. Some said only the guilty slept in jail; some said only the truly innocent panicked. Emma had seen too many people incarcerated to believe any of them. An innocent realist would sleep in jail just as much as a guilty manic wouldn’t. Some people cried, some people stared off into the abyss. Emma had seen the cockiest, mouthiest punks turn out to be innocent and the most polite people wind up guilty. It was impossible to predict and people acted how they felt like they had to.

And Calvin Spunketti was a pacer. 

Emma heard Graham finally get off the phone in his inner office and she looked up at him. He sat on her desk and lowered his voice so that Spunk couldn’t hear; not that the kid was paying any attention. “We’ll move him to the interrogation room now. We’ve got him dead to rights on the possession charge and I don’t think it’ll be too hard to get him to give up his stash.”

_You don’t think so? Simple possession charge could be as little as a fine, whereas possession with intent to distribute carries jail time. If I was that kid I’d keep my mouth closed and take the little pot charge._

Graham got off her desk and went to get the holding keys and Emma cleared her throat. “And find out who his partner is.”

The Irish Sheriff stopped and turned. “What?”

“We also need to find out who his partner is.”

“You uh, really think this kid has partner?” 

“You don’t?” Emma challenged with an eyebrow raised. 

“Well, I find it hard to believe we have _two_ drug dealers here in Storybrooke.” The Sheriff scoffed. 

Emma merely ignored him. _I think this town might have two drug dealers and an arsonist. Or maybe one of those dealers is both?_ She watched as Graham put handcuffs back on Spunk and led him to the interrogation room and then chained the cuffs to the table. Emma eyed Graham at the overly cautious measures. 

Graham read Spunk his rights and the kid was eyeing a section of the table blankly. “You know we’ve already got you on possession charges, right Spunk? We found drugs in your bedroom along with drug paraphernalia. All you can do now is try to help yourself.”

Emma almost snorted. _You get that watching Law and Order, Graham?_

“I know you’ve been supplying and dealing drugs in this town Spunk. Where do you keep your stash if it’s not in your bedroom?” The kid merely blinked. “I told you, you need to help yourself here, Spunk. Ignoring me is not helping you.” Graham’s mouth tightened and Emma wondered if he would really lose his temper this easily. “Do you not think that I can get you on drug dealing charges? Emma and I will testify and Albert Spencer will sign off on it and you’ll go down as a drug dealer. I can make that happen.”

Emma had had enough. “Sheriff.” Her voice was cold. “Why don’t you go re-check this kid’s paperwork and let me have a shot at him.” For a second she thought Graham would refuse but he eventually nodded and stood from the chair across from Spunk.

“Have fun with him, Deputy.”

Emma waited, arms crossed against the wall, until Graham left. She waited another beat before taking the chair. “Kid, look at me.”

Spunk looked up and Emma examined him. His hair had still not been touched up and she noted the bags under his eyes. _God he’s not looking so great._ “Look, kid. I’m going to play you straight. I’m not going to play games or try and mess you around. Yes, we found some pot in your room. I find most potheads know the possession rules very well and you know you’re looking at barely anything except becoming the town pariah. You want to smoke some weed to go to sleep, dude, I don’t even care.” Spunk looked surprised but he still didn’t speak. “It’s the drug dealing to the town that we can’t let continue. I told you, I know it and you know it.” Emma let him stew for another minute. “You look like crap, man.”

Spunk actually snorted. “Well, I am in jail.”

“I’ve seen some fabulous looking people in jail.” Emma teased. “In fact, you’ve looked worse every time I’ve seen you. Ever since I took those drugs from you.” The blonde sighed just to give him another moment. “I think you were on the hook for those drugs from someone, Spunk. I think someone is blaming you for losing those drugs, which means you’re not in a good place right now.” She could see the fear in his eyes now; whether it was her words or the fact that she knew Emma couldn’t tell. “I can help you, kid. None of that you gotta help yourself bullshit, I can help you because I think you’re in a bad way. But you gotta give me something.” Emma leaned back and decided to display her nearly infinite patience; he didn’t even last as long as Ashley could have. 

“I can’t.” Spunk whispered. He leaned closer to Emma across the table. “I can’t say anything.”

_So it’s a boss, not a partner. Who’s pulling your strings, kid, give me something._ Emma knew there was no point in pushing him further; it would just scare the kid more. “You a reader, Spunk?”

She watched his eyes widen in surprise again. “What?”

“Are you a reader? Do you like to read?”

“Um.” He glanced around the room. “Some stuff. Why you asking?”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Uh, Thrawn, and Darth Plagueis are cool I guess.”

“Star Wars? So you like science fiction?”

“I guess. Why you asking?”

“You got a library card?”

“Yeah.” Spunk looked around the room uneasily again. “I can’t afford to buy a book.”

“Fair enough.” Emma nodded casually. “Books can be expensive. Have you read like Ender’s Game?”

“And Shadow.” Spunk seemed a little more at ease now, if still confused. “Those are old school.”

“Hey.” Emma pointed a teasing finger. “Careful who you’re calling old buddy.”

“Sorry.” Spunk smirked. 

_Oh kid. What the hell am I going to do with you?_ “I’ll find something for you to read while you’re stuck here, okay kid?” Emma could see the bit of respect in his eyes.

“The 100 by Kass Morgan is in my room, if you find yourself there or whatever.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Emma went to leave the room so that Graham could bring him back to his holding cell. “Hey kid, sure you don’t want to tell me anything before the Sheriff gets back in here?”

Spunk looked down at the table and Emma sighed. 

_I have got to find a way to get through to that kid. And soon._

**

“Jasmine, go home.” Regina watched as the woman’s fingers continued to fly over the keyboard even though her eyes were now trained on Regina. 

“I just have a few more things to,”

“Now, Ms. Sultan.” Regina used her Mayoral voice but kept her eyes soft. “That’s an order.”

Jasmine gave a small smile. “You got it, Madam Mayor.”

“I mean it.” Regina smirked. She gave the woman a little wave as she continued down the hallway. She had finally called it quits twenty minutes ago when she realized she _still_ hadn’t seen Henry, Ashley was going through a difficult time and while the whole town might be falling apart she was still a mother first. 

She was reaching into her purse for her car keys when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she slowly looked over her shoulder. A man was standing uncomfortably close and Regina gasped and stepped backwards before his features truly registered; the panic faded and was replaced by anger. “Sidney.” The name was a hiss.

Regina eyed the brown-skinned man who sheepishly took off his hat and twisted it in his hands uncomfortably. “I’m sorry I startled you, Regina.” 

The brunette took a noticeable step backwards to create some room between them. “And may I ask just why you were sneaking up on me, Mr. Glass?” Regina practically snarled.

“Oh, oh no, Regina,”

“Mayor Mills.” Her voice was like ice. 

“Mayor Mills, of course.” Regina had always thought his voice sounded like oil. He was in one of his usual grey suits and he always seemed to display a nervous energy. “I just wished to speak with you about a matter and I thought I should come over and speak to you in person.”

“And what is the matter that you wished to speak to me about?”

Regina was not a fool; she knew the man before her had a crush on her that bordered on stalkerish obsession. She was willing to admit, sometimes, that she used that fact to her advantage on occasion. She kept Sidney around because, for better or worse, the reporter always seemed to be able to find out whatever information she required; about anything. 

“Well, these fires of course.” Sidney’s eyes were burning and he gestured at her with his hat. “Mayor Mills, these fires are the most action that Storybrooke has ever seen! This has all the makings of a perfect story! Drama and intrigue and mystery as well as an incredible human element!”

Regina’s jaw was clenched. “The human element you’re referring to is a man who just lost his livelihood.”

“And you can’t deny, Mayor Mills, that tragedy always sells! This is a huge opportunity and we need to get ahead of this quickly.” 

_Of course Sidney is another snake trying to use this to his own advantage._ “And just what are you proposing, Mr. Glass?”

“Why, a story of course. An exposé on the arsonist!” 

“An exposé.” Regina’s voice was dry. 

“Yes, yes.” Sidney was still excited. “Think about it. We profile these fires and the arsonist and maybe even get the arsonist to contact the newspaper and open up a line of communication!”

Regina paused only to think about what Sidney had said about an open line of communication. “No.” She said flatly.

Sidney deflated. “Wha- Regina, why?”

“Because you’re trying to sensationalize an arsonist that is set on destroying my town. I don’t think giving a criminal even more attention is the way to go about this.”

“But, Regina,”

“Mr. Glass.” Regina’s voice was sharp enough to cut. “You will write only about the facts of the fire and the statements approved from Town Council. You will not write anything I don’t explicitly say that you can write, and you will make no attempt to get the arsonist to contact you.” _At least until I talk that last point over with Emma._ “Understood?” Regina fished her keys once more out of her purse so she could finally leave. 

“Well, what about the other mystery in town?”

“Hmm?”

“What about Emma Swan?”

The keys slipped from Regina’s grasp and clattered to the pavement. Sidney darted forward and scooped them off the ground before Regina could barely blink. 

_Did I say Emma’s name out loud?_ “What are you talking about, Sidney?”

The reporter gave her another oily smile. “I can always see a story, Regina, you know that. That’s why I’m so useful to you.” He handed over the keys and instead of taking them Regina just held out an open hand. He nodded his head a little when he set them in her palm. 

“What story?”

“Mysterious woman shows up in town with a teenager in tow and in an extremely short time span starts gathering power? She already has authority at the police station and now an…in…in the Mayor’s office.” Regina grit her teeth. _Of course he already knows that we went on a date._ “I find her motives extremely suspicious.”

“And just what are you implying, Mr. Glass?” Regina took a threatening step forward. 

“Regin- Madam Mayor. You get me to investigate every new person that shows up in this town but with her, you never gave that order.” 

_Because I didn’t want her investigated. Once I knew her, I knew I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t dig into her and Spencer’s lives even more than I already had._ “Your point?”

“Well, I took the liberty of doing a little digging on my own, and,”

“You what?” Regina hissed. _What the hell is it with my lackey’s suddenly trying to have minds of their own?_

“I mean,” Sidney looked nervous now, “I just researched into their backgrounds a little. And what I found is worse than I was,”

“How dare you.” Regina stalked forward another step and Sidney stumbled backward. “You had no right to invade their privacy like that.”

Sidney sputtered. “I, I was just doing what you always tell me to do.”

Regina actually raised a finger and pointed threateningly at Sidney’s chest. “You will gather any research you have found on the Swan’s and,” Regina hesitated while she remembered Spencer accidently telling her of their long running hatred of cops, “you will bring it to me. No one else will ever see it and you will do no further investigating on them. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

“Everything okay out here, Madam Mayor?” 

Both Sidney and Regina turned to look at Jasmine, who had exited Town Hall and was clearly heading for her own car. “Everything is fine, Ms. Sultan.” Regina forced herself to nod at Jasmine and smile as warmly as she could. “Mr. Glass just had something to discuss with me but he was just leaving.”

She could almost hear Sidney gulp as he nodded, placed his hat back on his head and left them alone. 

“If you’ll excuse me saying so, Regina,” Jasmine spoke a little less professionally when they were alone and Sidney was out of earshot, “I always thought that man was a snake.”

“A viper.” Regina agreed with a smirk.

“Snakes can be dangerous.” 

“Even dangerous things can be useful if you keep them on a leash.” 

Jasmine chuckled slightly and shook her head. “If you say so, Madam Mayor. Enjoy your evening.”

Regina heard the warning to be careful clearly and Regina resolved to reward Jasmine for her service with a gift-card for a spa treatment or a dinner. “Enjoy your evening as well, dear.”

_The information Sidney brings me won’t be anything important. You know how dramatic the man is. It’ll probably just be about them moving around a lot._

Regina, for the third time, headed for the Benz. 

_Please just be about them moving around a lot._

**

Spencer hadn’t stopped smiling pretty much all day. 

Which was perhaps odd because there was another fire-starter in the town she was growing to love, someone had broken into her home, Emma was on the hunt for the cause of the drug problem in town and the first girl she’d ever truly connected with had some serious alcoholic tendencies. 

She supposed the smiling came from the silver linings. That she _had_ finally actually connected with a girl and she was funny and beautiful and adorkable and so unbelievably talented. _And so unbelievably sexy._ She truly believed that the fact Ashley hadn’t quite grown up with the white picket fence life is the reason they connected on a level Spencer hadn’t ever felt before. 

And yes, there was a fire-starter in the town she was growing to love but at least she had finally found a town in which _to_ love. Storybrooke had its moments with small-mindedness and gossip but she had never felt a real feeling of community either. 

Not to mention she felt like she had really taken strides with Emma this morning. Making the vase was an important ritual to them; it made them feel secure in the fact that they would always know if someone had ever broken into their home. _Which it has now warned us about. Several times._

Spencer had truly been afraid of Emma declaring that they were moving; mostly because she wasn’t sure what exactly she would do. Spencer had never taken a true stand against her before because she knew her sisters entire life had been about saving her. Emma had become her saviour at the cost of everything and Spencer never took that lightly. But she _could not_ leave Storybrooke now. She wouldn’t. 

And she was scared that they day would come when she would have to make a stand against Emma. Against her saviour. 

The smile stayed on Spencer’s features when she caught sight of Ashley sitting on what the blonde now considered _their_ park bench. Ashley had texted and asked to meet and Spencer hadn’t hesitated. 

As she walked across the park to where Ashley was already waiting she noticed the brunette fidgeting and staring at the ground. Spencer had seen Ashley nervous before, nervous in the way like she’s embarrassed or afraid she’s going to make a fool of herself but this was different. 

Ashley almost looked scared. 

The brunette heard her coming once she got close enough and Spencer finally got a look at Ashley’s face; her eyes were a little wild and the tremor in her hands was noticeable even from where she stood. _Fuck, what else has happened?_

For the first time today, the smile slipped from Spencer’s lips. 

She had been planning on walking into Ashley’s arms, assuming the brunette would stand for her, and kissing her sweetly but Ashley did not stand and Spencer awkwardly sat beside her. She wanted to reach out, wanted to connect them, but Ashley’s hands were in her sweater pocket. “Ash, is everything okay?” Ashley blinked and to Spencer it looked like the brunette was in a daze. “Ashley?”

“I lost your lighter.” Is what Ashley finally croaked. 

Spencer’s breath caught in her throat but she kept the shock from her face. “Is that what’s bothering you? It’s okay Ash.” She does reach out then and lays a hand on Ashley’s stiff forearm. “We can find it. I’m sure it’s just in your room, or maybe in your locker or something.”

Ashley looked up and Spencer couldn’t read the wild look in brown eyes. “But you want to search for it? It was just an old lighter right? Something to keep your hands busy.”

Spencer pursed her lips and slowly retracted her hand from Ashley’s arm. She wisely chose not to answer. “What’s this about, Ash?”

Ashley abruptly leapt out of her seat and started pacing in front of the bench. “I feel like I’m going crazy, Spence.” Spencer thinks that the brunette, digging her fingers through her curly hair, actually looked a little crazed. “I’m thinking things that make no sense and I have no right to be thinking, but the more I think them the less crazy they’re getting and now it’s actually starting to make sense.”

“Ashley.” Spencer kept her voice low and calm. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about fucking everything, Spence. Everything. Madison and Aiden and fucking Peter Gold and this fucked up town.” She whirls on the blonde. “Just how important is that lighter to you, Spencer?”

Spencer now raised her hands defensively. _What the fuck is going on? Please god no, don’t let everything be falling apart now._ Spencer saw the look still in Ashley eyes and decided to lie. “It’s just a lighter, Ash. I just didn’t want you to feel bad over losing it, but it means nothing to me.”

“It means nothing to you.” Ashley repeats the words like they’re foreign. “Spencer. Just tell me the truth.” A tear leaked out of the corner of Ashley’s eye and Spencer starts tearing up automatically at the sight of it. _How the fuck did this day turn to this?_ “If I’m being ridiculous I’m sorry and, I just, I don’t know, what I’m thinking but I can’t. I can’t just stop thinking it.”

“What, Ashley? Thinking what?”

“Is Emma your foster sister?

Spencer’s body freezes in place so instantly she feels as if the blood has frozen in her veins. “What?” Her voice is the one now choked but Ashley can apparently see how much the question has affected her. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” Ashley was now almost violently trembling and she looked horrified. “It is you. Oh my god it’s actually you. I thought they were making me crazy but they’re not.

“What, Ashley!” Spencer hollers. “What are you talking about?!” 

“This!” Ashley ripped a folded piece of paper from her pocket and slams it forcefully into Spencer’s chest. The blonde takes the blow with a grunt and her hand comes up to take the paper when Ashley rips her hand away. “This is what I’m talking about!”

Spencer’s hands are now the ones shaking as she unfolds the paper. She only needs to read the first line: _The small hamlet of Oakshire was rocked by tragedy…_

The paper slips out of Spencer’s fingers and they both watch it float to the ground. _No. No, not this. Anything but this._ Spencer’s hands curled into fists and now she desperately wished she hadn’t given her lighter to Ashley. _I need my lighter. I need_ a _lighter_. 

“Tell me the truth.” Ashley’s voice is strangled and Spencer looked up; she feels so sick she wonders if she looks green. 

“What.” Spencer feels like her ability to feel was leaking out of her.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Spencer!” Ashley explodes and takes a step forward but Spencer can’t find the will to even flinch. “Tell me if it’s you! Tell me if you did this! Tell me.” The brunette looks sick now too. “Did you set the fire that killed your parents?”

Spencer looks up but she really isn’t looking at Ashley anymore. Her mind was elsewhere. 

“Yes.”


	14. ...Light My Fire

Ashley felt like she had been punched in the stomach and it made her want to be sick.

_No. That didn’t just happen. Oh fuck no. Oh my god. This was all fucking crazy talk. This is insane. It wasn’t actually supposed to be her. I was supposed to prove it wasn’t her. Oh fucking hell I’m going to be sick._ “Oh my god.” Ashley stared at Spencer but the blonde was looking off into the distance somewhere. Ashley didn’t know what someone was supposed to look like when they had just confessed to murder but she didn’t think the blank, mostly emotionless face, with eyes filled with agony, was usually it. “Oh my god this is fucking insane. Spencer, what the actual fuck!” Ashley barely realized she had taken another threatening step forward and was nearly screaming. 

Spencer had still barely moved.

“Are you even listening to me?!” Ashley yelled. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she laughed so she wouldn’t sob. “Oh my god. You just fucking told me you killed people.” Ashley’s hand wound into her own hair and she pulled sharply; she didn’t even notice the pain. “This doesn’t happen in real life. Fucking Christ.” She paced back and forth and eyed Spencer incredulously. “Are you just going to fucking stand there and say nothing? You can’t just drop a bomb like that and do nothing! Are you fucking insane?!” 

Ashley laughed and sobbed again as the blonde still didn’t react. “This is a nightmare. This isn’t really happening. I’m on a bender right now. A weird, fucked-up drunken bender and the girl I like did not just admit to killing her parents and setting fires around town.” Movement caught Ashley’s eye and she watched, muscles locked, as Spencer finally jerked like she’d been shocked awake.

“What?”

_Oh my god she’s actually a fucking lunatic._ “What do you mean _what_?”

“I didn’t murder anybody.”

“Are you fucking crazy! You literally _just_ told me that you did!” Ashley dramatically flailed her hands and Spencer looked hurt. _She doesn’t have the right to look hurt right now! Does she?_

“No I didn’t.”

“Spencer, what the actual fuck is,”

“I set the fire.” Spencer wasn’t looking at Ashley; she was back to staring off into the distance. “I did. But I didn’t kill them.” Her voice was quieter now, and Ashley finally stopped ranting to listen. “I didn’t murder anybody, they were already dead when I set the fire.”

_That doesn’t make any fucking sense._ “What? The article said,”

Spencer scoffed and turned a disgusted look to the paper on the ground between them. “The article.” She practically hissed. “They were already gone. I set the fire to hide the fact that they were dead.”

_That still doesn’t fucking make any…oh my god. Oh my god._ Ashley swallowed bile again. “Emma.” The word was a whisper; it wasn’t said with the usual respect that Ashley paid that name. “The only person you would do that to protect from murder charges would be Emma.”

Spencer didn’t deny it. 

_That’s even worse! Oh my fuck the woman I’ve been taking advice from has fucking killed people._ “Why, Spencer?” Ashley’s voice was choking. “Why would you, she, why would you both do that? The article said they were,”

“The article.” Spencer spat again. She was finally showing some real emotion; anger. “You read a one page fucking article and you think you know everything? You, who has done nothing but gripe and whine and moan that this town doesn’t understand you and that this town judges you? You’re a fucking ignorant and selfish child, Ashley.” Spencer spat her words and forced Ashley back a step. “You read one newspaper article and you think you know what my life was like? What my childhood was like? Fuck you.” Spencer turned on her heel to leave.

“You don’t get to do that.” Ashley snapped. “You don’t get to call me selfish and walk away when you just fucking told me that you and Emma fucking _killed_ people!”

_“They deserved it!”_ Spencer spun around and snapped. Ashley actually stumbled back from the vile, twisted look on Spencer’s face. Ashley wouldn’t even have believed Spencer was capable of such a level of hatred. “They fucking deserved what they got and they’re fucking _lucky_ they didn’t get worse!” Spencer’s teeth were clenched and she was crying now, just as Ashley was. 

“Then tell me.” Ashley whispered. Something had broken in her when Spencer had clearly snapped. “Tell me.”

Spencer actually laughed; the sound was without any humour and it sent chills down Ashley’s spine. “Tell you what, Ashley? About my horrible childhood? About all the abuse I endured? About how those fucking people got away with everything they ever did to us because of who they were?” She laughed that same chilling sound again. “Emma and I have both read that article so many times because we actually find it morbidly amusing.” She sneered down at the paper again. 

“Tell me.” Ashley whispered. 

Spencer looked away and stared off again. She somewhat mechanically sat down on the bench and Ashley mimicked her with some trepidation. “I was in the woodshed.” Spencer’s voice sounded miles away. Ashley knew that’s where the article said the fire started but she didn’t want to mention it again. “I already liked fire by this point. Fire was…” an affectionate look crossed the blonde’s features and it actually scared Ashley a little, “powerful. It was the first thing in my life that ever made me feel that way. The rest of my life was…shit, basically. I wouldn’t have survived it without Emma.” Spencer actually glanced over at Ashley. “I mean that literally. Emma saved my life so many times, in every way that a person can be saved. My saviour. But on the inside, I was still dying. The helplessness, the fear, the anger. I finally felt something when I found fire.” She sighed now and Ashley balked because she actually wanted to comfort her.

_Oh my god what do I do?_

“I was lighting fires in the woodshed and it got out of control.” She laughed self-deprecatingly. “I was so stupid. So transfixed. I almost died. Worse than that, I almost lost the only thing in the world that meant anything to me.”

“Emma.” Ashley said the name on a quiet breath. 

Spencer nodded. “I would have burned to death. I was sitting in the woodshed, watching the fire grow and spread and I just couldn’t even…it was like I wasn’t even attached to my body. Emma saved me. Again. She came into the woodshed and braved the fire and got us both out.” Another tear trailed down the blonde’s cheek. “She got hurt because of me. I almost lost her to my stupidity. Almost lost her because I was keeping secrets.”

“But you both got out.”

“Yes.”

“And the fire spread?” _Wait no, that can’t be right. Spencer said her parents were already gone…_

“No, it didn’t. The shed burned and smouldered but it didn’t really have enough to hit the deck and the fence. Emma was hurt and we were just trying to get inside. We were going to sneak off to the hospital…” Spencer’s voice, if possible, got even lower and Ashley’s stomach sank. “But _she_ was already home.”

“She?”

“Kara.” Spencer spit the name like she had a disgusting taste in her mouth. “She caught us on the landing. We looked quite the sight I’m sure.” Ashley watched Spencer’s eyes and believed that the blonde wasn’t seeing the park they were sitting in. “Emma…God I don’t know why Emma even tried. It was like she thought Kara might actually be proud of her or something. Proud of Emma for risking her life saving her freak foster child.” Spencer smirked. “I give Emma credit for trying I suppose but, I knew it wouldn’t work. She would only care that her shed had been burned down. She…God she backhanded Emma so hard that she practically went flying. She’d literally just been on fire for fucks sake! I just snapped. I don’t even really remember attacking her. I think I just lunged at her.” Spencer was now telling the story without any emotion at all. 

“Spence.” The blonde didn’t seem to even really register Ashley speaking. 

“I stood no chance. Not against _her_. She got me to the ground and kicked me a few times. Nothing new, really. She’d kicked me down the stairs just a few days earlier. But this was different. I remember not really being able to breathe. The smoke from the fire felt like it was still in my lungs and I was laying there gasping as she kicked me. I think Emma thought she’d really kill me.”

“What happened?”

“What always happened. My saviour saved me. Hurt and bleeding and burnt, Emma took her to the ground.” Spencer showed the first bit of emotion in a full body shudder. “I heard…I heard the sound Kara’s skull made when it hit the hardwood floor. She never moved again.”

Ashley’s hand was covering her mouth but Spencer didn’t even glance over to see her look of horror. “Oh my god.”

“That was when he came.”

Ashley’s eyes flicked over to the article still on the ground. “Deacon?”

The shudder Spencer gave again wasn’t missed. “In a way, he was worse than her. She was a bitch and made no excuses. You always knew what you were going to get with her. But him…” If possible Spencer’s voice got even lower. “He had two sides, and you were never sure which one you getting. He was a good actor, he had a good mask, and he knew how to play us when he wanted to. If it wasn’t for Emma…” Spencer swallowed thickly. “He came up the stairs and saw the three of us. I didn’t even know that I was practically laying in the blood pool… He completely lost it. I don’t know how Emma even survived.” The blonde huffed. “Luck. She told me later. The universe had smiled on us.” Ashley heard her teeth come together with an audible click. “I stopped believing in there being anything out there watching over us a long time ago.”

“He…died?”

“Went over the railing and landed in the foyer.” Spencer’s words were blunt. 

_Holy fucking shit._ “Oh my god. So then you…set the fire.”

“Mhmm. The other kids in the house, they came out to investigate the noise. Emma told them to wait right by the front door. She knew they wouldn’t say anything. Emma dragged Kara down beside her husband and she placed them right beside the stairs. Then we went outside, moved a few wood piles still surviving out of the shed and beside the deck. She found another bottle of kerosene in the garage. She said she didn’t want to use too much because it would be obvious, but that she’d help the fire along. And then…she told me to set the shed on fire again. It was the first time I’d ever set a fire with the intention to really burn something down. The shed went quick, it was still hot and burning a little. With a little kerosene to move it along the deck went quick too. Emma went into the mudroom and brought down a bunch of coats and shirts and shit like that so it would blaze pretty well.”

“Then what?” Ashley dared to ask when Spencer fell silent.

“We went to wait in the foyer with the others.” Spencer shrugged. “We stood there until the house was seriously in flames. The smoke was getting thick and it was getting hard to see. We couldn’t stop coughing. Emma actually wrapped her hands in a coat and helped pull the entire banister and railing down on their bodies. I think she hoped it would explain the blunt force injuries they had. When we couldn’t take it anymore we finally just walked out the front door. We went to the neighbour’s house and they called for help and tried to see if there was anything they could do but they house was really burning by then. All six of us stood by the road and watched that house burn down.”

“Oh my god, Spencer.” Ashley tentatively reached out and laid a hand on Spencer’s arm. “Jesus, God, I was such an asshole. I’m so sorry.” _Okay breathe Davies. Okay, don’t have a panic attack now. You can do this._ “Okay, it’s going to be okay. We’ll, we’ll get you out of town or something. I’ve got plenty of money, you can just run, and I won’t say anything, I promise.” _Oh my god, how did this come to this?_

Spencer finally looked over. “What are you talking about?”

“The fires, Spencer! I read a whole thing on arsonists, and I get how you could get fucked up from all that or whatever.” _Nice Davies._ “I mean, not fucked up, that’s not what I meant.” Ashley slid closer and took both of Spencer’s hands. “I get it, okay. But you can’t get arrested for all this. And we could like, pay to get you help or whatever, whatever you need.”

Spencer’s blue eyes finally widened. “You wouldn’t turn me in? For any of the fires? You’d…help me run and get me help?”

Ashley swallowed thickly. _Oh god Regina is going to kill me._ “Yes. I would. I get why you and Emma, uh, did what you did. And no one has been hurt this time so it’s not too late. You just…you’ve done nothing but help me, and I would be a really disloyal piece of shit if I couldn’t do the same.” Ashley took another breath but she noticed she no longer felt like throwing up and her hands were surprisingly steady. _I’m going to do this. I have to do this. I don’t know about right but I’m doing this and I don’t regret it._

“Oh, Ash.”

The brunette nearly whirled around; her voice finally sounded like the Spencer of before this nightmare. “What?”

“Ash, I didn’t set the Storybrooke fires. I promise.” Blue eyes stared into Ashley’s and begged her to believe that promise. “I did set the one at my foster parent’s house. And I’ve slipped and set others throughout the years. But not in years. Ashley I swear to you, I didn’t set the dumpster fires or Tony’s.”

_What the actual fuck?_ “You…you didn’t?”

“No.” Spencer smirked. “You caught me, and I am a pyro…but I’m not the only one in town.”

_You’ve gotta be fucking shittin’ me._

**

Regina strut through the police station doors in full Mayoral mask, walk and attitude. She noticed the young man, Calvin Spunketti, pacing in the holding cell across the room but she paid him no mind even though he’d glanced up at the sound of her high heels. 

She noticed but Emma and Graham had looked up as well. “Sheriff. Deputy. May I have a word with you both in the office?” She didn’t even slow down and walked directly ahead and the two police officials clearly realized it had not been a question. 

“What’s going on, Regina?” Graham asked as soon as he was in the office and Emma was shutting the door behind them. 

“What’s going on, Sheriff, is that I just received a call from the Fire Chief. It seems that he is willing to call the fire at Tony’s deliberate arson.” She saw Emma’s jaw clench and Graham brought his hands to his face where he rubbed at his beard. 

“So we have an arsonist in town.” Emma reiterated. Regina eyed the woman; she was standing calm and secure, arms crossed, and merely waiting for information. Graham, on the other hand, seemed nervous. 

“Yes. The Chief was able to determine, quite easily apparently, that the fire had two different sets of origin.” 

“An amateur.” Emma nodded.

Regina was surprised that the blonde had gleaned so quickly what she and the Chief had discussed. “Yes.”

“That makes the witness testimony even more important. If an incendiary device was used the arsonist could have been long gone. If they were actually in the building and setting fires by hand, and not even well at that, they would have been on scene still when it blazed.”

“I agree.” Regina nodded before turning an arched eyebrow to Graham. “Anything to add, Sheriff?”

“I don’t see how this has happened, Regina.”

“Well it has, and there is no use in moaning about why’s and how’s now. Now we need to catch the person responsible.”

“Right.” Graham scratched at his beard again. “And how do we do that?”

Regina’s look was disdainful. “How about you start by doing your job?” Regina took another breath to lay into the clearly incompetent man but Emma interrupted her. 

“Someone saw something, and we’ll find out what it is. Almost the whole town came out to watch that building burn down. And I’ll really focus on the teenagers.”

“The teenagers?” Graham looked over at his deputy and even Emma rolled her eyes.

“You never seen a teenager before, Graham? They’ll whip out their phones to film what they’re eating for lunch. You think they won’t have Tony’s burning down from every single angle? Seems like the kids have the only camera presence in town.” The last part was muttered under her breath but Regina heard it and cocked her eyebrow. Emma flashed her a nearly invisible smirk and Regina cleared her throat. 

“Now that Spunketti has been apprehended I want all of your focus and attention on this arsonist.” Graham readily agreed but she watched Emma shift. “Something to say, deputy?”

“Madam Mayor, we have the kid on simple possession. By all rights, he probably shouldn’t even still be in holding. We have to process him and let him go.”

“Let him go?”

Emma chuckled. “Regina you were a lawyer, c’mon. If we can’t get something else out of him he’s walking out of here with a fine.”

_Damnit. I hate it when she’s right._ “Then find something. Where are the drugs he was selling?”

“We can’t find them.” Graham admitted. 

“We combed his bedroom and with the other kid, Mark Planters permission, the rest of the townhouse and couldn’t find them. We also searched the gas station and the surrounding area out back, but still nothing.” Emma explained. Her eyes flicked over to Graham for a brief second and Regina caught the look. 

“What?”

“The Sheriff and I have differing opinions on the drugs.”

_Oh God this is not what I need._ “And what is it?”

“Regina,” Graham jumped in and took step forward, “I think it’s only a matter of time before we find the drugs. Spunk clearly has a stash somewhere and we just need to find it. A hidden spot in the woods maybe, or with a friend in town.”

“And you, deputy?” 

“I think the drugs will be with his boss.”

_What on earth?_ “You can’t be referring to,”

“The fifty year old man who runs the gas station? No. I mean his drug dealing boss. I doubt it’s a partner. I think the drugs will be with that person. Spunk was probably only handed out increments at a time and when he sold them he brought back the money.”

“Deputy. Are you telling me you think there is another drug dealer in my town?” _Oh Emma, damnit. I’d be madder if I didn’t trust your opinion._

“I do.” 

“And I disagree.” Graham pointed out once more. 

Regina sighed and brought her hands to rub her temples; she was getting another migraine. “Do you have any proof?”

“No.” Emma said easily. “But there is nothing disproving it, either.” 

“Okay.” _Jesus I didn’t even come here for this._ “Find answers then. Take another run at him, both of you. Get the location of the stash or get the boss. And start running down the witnesses of the fire again and get all the cellphone footage of that night.”

“Understood, Regina.” Graham nodded and went to leave. He hesitated when neither of the women made to move. 

“I need to speak with the deputy for a moment, Sheriff.” Regina said impassively. 

“Right.” He eyed them both again before leaving. Regina smirked when he left the door open and Emma, with an eye-roll, walked back over to close it again. 

“How you holding up with everything?” Emma asked in a softer tone once they were alone. 

Regina’s first instinct was to instantly say that she was fine but the soft look in Emma’s eyes gave her pause. “I’m…managing.”

“Headache?”

The brunette smiled lightly at the perceptive woman. “I’ll survive.”

“Oh, I have no doubt. I’m sure you can survive anything.” Emma moved a little bit closer so they were both on the same side of the desk. Regina swallowed and smirked when she saw Emma’s eyes follow the movement of her throat. 

“Charmer.”

“I try.” 

“Oh, I meant to tell you. I got a text from Ashley on my way over here.”

“She alright?”

Regina tried not to swoon a little bit when she saw Emma instantly straighten like she would dive into battle at a seconds notice. “She’s fine. I think.” Regina amended. “She just said that something had come up and that we were going to have to postpone doing her witness interview.”

“Hmm. I trust her, but we haven’t even done her initial one yet and we really shouldn’t wait too long.”

“She knows it’s important.” Regina shrugged a little helplessly. “She wouldn’t blow us off, not for this. I’m sure it’s something that couldn’t be helped.” Regina shook her head. “I wish that Ashley wasn’t involved in any of this towns’ craziness right now.”

Emma gave her a little more serious look. “I’ll find out what’s going on, Regina. I’ll figure it out.”

“You know what,” Regina reached out and lightly fingered the cuff of Emma’s leather jacket, “I believe you.”

“Good.” Emma took Regina’s questing hand in her own and lightly played with Regina’s fingers. When Emma’s sleeve shifted up Regina could just make out the beginning lines of the broken watch tattoo. “Would you like to know what I want?”

“What do you want?” Regina practically breathed. 

“I would like to take you on another date.” Emma smiled a little nervous. “I know the town has kind of gone crazy but…I would uh,” she cleared her throat, “really like to take you out again.”

Regina grinned and still watched the paler hand that played with her more tanned fingers. “Would you like to know what I would really like?”

“Hmm?” Emma hummed. 

“Instead of you taking me out, I would like to stay in.” Now Emma swallowed and Regina watched her throat closely. “Just you and me, perhaps a bottle of wine and some conversation? No need for anything fancy or complicated right now. Just something,”

“Simple.” Emma grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

“Later this evening?” Regina tried not to let on that she was nervous as well. 

“I’ll be there.” Emma grinned. “But for now, I should probably get back to work.”

Regina smirked. “Very demanding boss?” She teased.

“No, I’m starting to think my boss is an idiot.”

Regina gasped and smacked Emma’s arm. The blonde pretended like she’d been hurt until they both started laughing. 

“Now, my boss’s boss, on the other hand, she’s a real firecracker.”

“Oh Ms. Swan,” Regina lowered her voice, “you have no idea.” She turned abruptly and strut from the room glowing in the knowledge that Emma was watching her swinging hips walking away. 

_Oh yeah. I still got it._

**

Spencer continued her slow walk around the room even as she smiled at the flustered brunette trying in vain to clean up quickly. 

“Just uh, don’t mind the papers and stuff. Move anything if you want to sit or whatever.”

“Are these all song lyrics?” Spencer asked as she trailed her eyes over the probably hundreds of papers scattered around the room. 

“Pretty much.” Ashley shrugged and started stuffing papers and notebooks into the desk drawers. 

“That’s incredible.” Spencer said softly. Ashley rubbed at the back of her neck and blushed.

“It’s whatever.”

Spencer first noticed that the room was very dark. She had what looked like shutters and blackout curtains on the window and only one bulb in the three-bulb light fixture on the ceiling. The walls were painted a dark, deep blue that made Spencer think of ocean depths, and a lot of Ashley’s generally dark wardrobe was spread out across the room. 

“Sorry, uh, the beds the only place to really sit. I don’t, um, have a chair or anything in here.”

“Ashley. It’s fine.” Spencer gave a small smile and turned her attention to Ashley’s music. “Why am I not surprised you still have a CD collection as well as a vinyl one?” 

Ashley shrugged. “Kinda my thing.”

“I kn-”

“Spencer I’m really sorry.”

The blonde turned and found Ashley wringing her hands nervously and standing beside her bed. “What?”

“I’m really sorry, okay? I was…god, such a piece of shit.” Ashley sat down abruptly on the edge of her bed. “I had no right to accuse you of anything and I should have trusted you…”

“Ashley.” Spencer kept her voice soft as she walked over to take a seat beside the distraught brunette. “It’s okay.”

“No it isn’t! God, it’s not okay.”

“It is.” Spencer insisted. “Because you were right, weren’t you? I do have a problem with fire, I am a fire-starter, and I did set the fire in my foster parent’s house.”

“Yeah but…you’re not the Storybrooke pyro. You haven’t done anything lately. And…obviously I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know because I didn’t tell you.” Spencer made a choice to let go of any lingering anger and she reached out for Ashley’s hand. “I kept things from you. I had secrets and I told half stories. I’m, well, not altogether surprised that you came to some conclusions. I’m…shocked you even managed to find that article though.”

Ashley cleared her throat awkwardly. “Emma and I…talk. I mean, not about everything. But she had told me some things and some stories. I knew your mom, um, your foster mother, uh, that woman. Was a cop. And he was with CPS.”

“Of course.” Spencer gave a deep sigh and allowed her body to go boneless so she flopped on her back on the bed with her legs still dangling over the side. “God I’m exhausted.”

“I know the feeling.” Ashley laid herself down to mimic Spencer’s position.

“Did you mean what you said?”

Ashley cringed. “Which part?”

“Where you said you’d give me money to get help and get me out of town. Even when you thought I actually was Storybrooke’s pyro.”

“Yeah.” Ashley said simply. “Yeah I meant it.”

“Thank you.” Spencer’s words were soft and she turned her head to see Ashley’s profile. _God she’s beautiful._ “I’m sorry too.”

“For what?” 

“I said some things as well, that I didn’t really mean. I just,” _my world was falling apart_ , “was a little off kilter I guess but I shouldn’t have said those things about you.”

Ashley scoffed. “Please. Madison says worse to me on a daily basis. No big deal.”

“I’m sorry for not telling you everything, either.”

“Spence.” Ashley turned her head now so that their gazes were only inches apart. “You weren’t like…required to tell me all the personal details about your life. I haven’t told you everything either. This was just…a shitty situation that I handled very badly.” 

“It’s okay. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to suddenly believe your girlfriend was a pyromaniac and setting fires around town.” Spencer noticed the small smirk on Ashley’s face. “What?”

“My girlfriend?”

_Oh fuck me sideways._ “Okay. I didn’t mean that in a serious way, and I’d appreciate just letting that pass right on by.”

“Okay.” 

Spencer caught Ashley smirking and biting her lower lip slightly and she had to force her gaze back to the ceiling. Both girls let the conversation drop and they relaxed into the bed, breathing slowing and becoming in sync. 

“I’ve never been hit.” Ashley said suddenly. Spencer turned her head and now Ashley was the one gazing at the ceiling. “My parents.” She clarified. “My parents have never hit me.” Spencer knew from the tone of her voice not to interrupt. “Sometimes, I almost wish that they had.” Ashley whispered. “Cause if they’d hit me, at least that meant they noticed I was even there.”

Spencer gently shimmied her body a little closer so that Ashley could feel that she was there. 

“And that sounds so stupid now that I now, well…you know.”

_Now that you know that I actually got hit._ “It doesn’t sound stupid.” Ashley made a noise in her throat that Spencer took for disagreement. “It doesn’t, Ash. There are many kinds of abuse, honey. I went through one kind and you went through another. But it doesn’t mean that just because your abuse didn’t physically leave scars, doesn’t mean that they’re not there.”

Ashley turned her head. “When did you get so smart?”

Spencer smirked. “When Emma and I killed our foster parents and decided to raise ourselves.” There was ten full seconds of silence and then both girls started laughing. Spencer wasn’t entirely sure why they were laughing, because nothing had ever been less funny, but she pulled Ashley closer into her arms and they laughed together until they couldn’t breathe. 

When they finally settled Ashley’s head was resting on Spencer’s shoulder and the blonde had her arms wrapped around her. 

“My first memories are all mostly on my parents tour bus.” Ashley said quietly after a moment. Spencer started tracing aimless patterns on her back. “Not like, fun road-trip memories. Mostly just staring out the window by myself. Sometimes, the rest of my dad’s band paid more attention to me than my parents did.”

“That must have been difficult for a little kid.” Spencer knew better than to utter the words “I’m sorry”. She hated when someone did that to her. 

Ashley shrugged against her chest. “Usually it just meant I was that much more excited when my parents did actually remember I was there.” She scoffed now. “Do you know I didn’t realize until years later how many drugs my parents did in front of me? My dad actually told me once that the best time to talk to mommy was when she was down the rabbit hole. So of course I do it. Sit beside her and blabber on and on about whatever while she laid there completely toasted out of her mind and not hearing a word I was saying.”

“There are studies that show addictions are genetic behaviour.”

“So even if I didn’t drink because they fucked me up, I’d still drink because of them?” Ashley snickered and Spencer smirked. 

“Something like that.” When Ashley lapsed into silence Spencer took a deep breath. “My first memories are either nightmares or Emma.” Spencer whispered. _God I’ve never talked about this with anyone other than Emma before._ “I remember getting spanked with a shoe. Or picking dandelions with Emma. I remember screaming while getting locked in the closet. And then building a sandcastle with Emma. For every time I got hit or yelled at I have a memory of Emma.”

“She really saved you, hmm?”

“My saviour. You know she never once got mad at me for setting fires? Even when I was younger and actually did slip a few times? When I was like eleven I set the neighbours garage on fire. We had to run again and I remember sitting in Old Yeller crying and Emma driving one handed so she could stroke my hair or hold my hand or pat my leg. She never got mad. She’d give me examples all the time of different sicknesses.”

“Sicknesses?”

“Yeah.” Spencer smiled a little into Ashley’s hair. “Like, I wouldn’t get mad if you had the flu, kiddo. I wouldn’t get mad at you if you had cancer, kiddo. I wouldn’t get mad at you if you had a broken arm.” _God where would I be right now if it wasn’t for Emma?_ “She did everything for me, always.”

“Would she be mad…if she knew that I knew?”

_I have no idea, Ash._ “I don’t think so. She’d understand that we needed to talk and that it’s healthy to share things.”

_Let us pray that we never have to find out one way or the other._

**

Emma parallel parked one of the police cruisers on Main Street and got out of the car with eyes only for the burned out building. The crime scene tape that she and Graham had wrapped around the building was still standing and she wondered if any curious citizen had crossed it. 

Both the apothecary and the apartment building on either side of Tony’s had been deemed safe by the fire department so the tape only blocked half of the sidewalk.

“Morning, deputy.”

Emma gave a smile a nod to a man she didn’t even know the name of as he walked by. _Small town community is definitely a thing, that’s for sure._ Emma ducked under the tape and scanned the front of the building. Most of the front of Tony’s had been the ornate wooden front door and two windows that allowed passerby’s to see the quaint Italian dining room. Emma squatted down, balanced on the balls of her feet, and she reached out gently with one hand. The sidewalk was still littered with broken glass. She glanced over her shoulder and eyed the spot where Ashley had been standing when she claimed the windows blew out from the pressure caused by the heat. _She’d have had one hell of a view._

The blonde stood and walked over to the window, glass crunching under her boots, and peered inside the restaurant. It was a blackened, scorched interior that met her gaze and Emma grit her teeth. _God we’re lucky no one was hurt._

“Gonna catch the person responsible, deputy?”

Emma looked back at another couple she didn’t know by name but had seen around Granny’s. “Going to try my best.” Emma nodded. _Gee, apparently it only takes one gold star attached to a piece of leather to make them forget my tattoos and my attitude and accept me into their community._

“Terrible, isn’t it deputy Swan?”

Emma actually walked over when she heard that slightly nervous voice. “Dr. Hopper.” Emma extended her hand to the red-haired man and they shook over the police tape. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that sight. Awful. Such a tragedy.”

“At least no one was hurt.” Emma remarked. She watched how he looked over her shoulder at the restaurant. “Did you think of something else that might be useful, Dr. Hopper?”

“Oh, no. No, I’m afraid not. Honestly I think that, well, we all just can’t help walking by here to see it.”

“Understandable. This has had quite an effect on your community.”

“You don’t consider yourself one of the community?” Emma arched an eyebrow and the psychiatrist smiled nervously and shuffled his feet. “I apologize. Professional habit. And I should be letting you get back to your job, as well.”

“Have a good night, Doctor.”

“You as well, deputy.”

When Emma had watched him walked further down Main she turned back to Tony’s. There were narrow alley’s that ran down both sides of the building and Emma eyed them both critically. _Well, if I was trying to break in and knew there were practically no cameras in town, I’d probably assume the apartment side would be busier._ Emma headed down between the apothecary and the restaurant and looked critically at everything. 

From this side it was harder to tell there had even been a fire except for the lingering smell. Emma had briefly, very briefly, considered bringing Spencer down here to see if she could tell what accelerant had been used. _Can’t deny that girls got a nose for fire._ Emma had banished the thought pretty much as soon as she’d had it; she didn’t want Spencer any closer to these fires or another fire-starter than she had to be. _God, sometimes I think still being in this town is too close. But she’s right about not being able to leave._

Glass crunched under Emma’s foot and she peered in another window. This window was smaller, a little below her head height, and clearly only for light and not for the view of the apothecary wall behind her. 

She walked further, eyeing the alleyway that ran behind these set of buildings when she had a tingling down her spine. She stopped and considered everything for what was tickling at the back of her consciousness. _What the hell?_ Emma crouched down once more and ran her fingers lightly over the pavement under her feet and then glanced up at another window. _No broken glass on the ground but another broken window._ Emma scanned the alley but couldn’t see any signs of someone having sweeped or cleaned. _If the glass is inside, not outside, it means the pressure didn’t blow the window out. It was broken in from outside._

When she investigated the window Emma kept her hands clear, so she didn’t touch anything, but she leaned forward and considered the sill. _Not too high, but not the easiest window I’ve ever seen._ Emma gave a deep sigh. _So, I can officially rule out the elderly and the obese._

Emma heard glass crunch lightly and she whirled around to face whoever was trying to sneak up behind her with hands raised defensively; her abrupt motion startled the brown skinned man trying to creep down the alley. Emma’s adrenalin was still flowing but she kept her voice calm. “Didn’t you see the crime scene tape?” She quickly scanned him, noticing everything from his soft soled shoes to his tweed jacket and the hat he was now wringing in his hands. 

“I did see the tape, deputy. I’m sorry to have startled you.”

Emma arched an eyebrow. “You can’t be back here, I’m going to have to ask you to step back and leave the alley.” Internally, Emma cringed at the cop-speak leaving her mouth. 

“Oh, I’m just here getting some pictures for the Storybrooke Mirror.”

_For the newspaper?_ Emma smirked. “That must make you Sidney Glass.” 

The reporter gave her an oily, slightly lecherous smile. “Ah, you’ve heard of me. Perhaps you’ve read my work?”

“No.” 

Sidney didn’t allow his smile to slip. “Maybe our esteemed Mayor talked about me then.”

_Does this fool really think he can bait me?_ “Graham mentioned you actually. Mentioned that you occasionally do favours and research for him at the police station.”

“Ah. Yes, I like to keep myself useful.”

“Hmm. Is that entirely legal?” Emma commented lightly. She watched the reporter’s smile freeze and his eyes narrowed. 

“Just helping out a friend in the community.”

“Yeah I’m getting the impression that Storybrooke is all about community. Where’s your camera?”

“Excuse me?”

“You can out here to take pictures of the scene.” Emma paused. “So where’s your camera?”

“It’s in the car.” He gave her a tight smile.

“You came here to take pictures of the scene and left your camera in the car purposefully so that you’d have to go back for it?” _My real question is are you an annoying gnat or a dangerous snake?_

“An oversight, on my part.” He gave an odd half-bow motion and Emma rolled her eyes. 

“Either way, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. If you need pictures you can ask Graham at the police station.”

“Right.” Sidney made no motion to leave. “I don’t suppose while I’ve got you here, you would mind giving me a quote for the paper.”

“The police station has no official statement at this time and all queries are to be directed to Town Hall.” Emma repeated the agreed upon statement verbatim. _Like Regina wouldn’t have warned me about that one._

“Town Hall? So you’d like me to go to Regina?”

_Wow, he actually is trying to bait me. What are we, in high school?_ “All queries are to be directed to Town Hall.” Emma repeated. “If you’d like to waste our esteemed Mayor’s time, then that’s your call.” Emma chuckled to show him just what she thought of that plan. _Like Regina wouldn’t eat you alive and spit you back out._ “Now for the last time, move along.”

They had a few second stare down but Emma was completely relaxed and Sidney was anything but. He finally jammed his hat back onto his head and left the alleyway. 

Emma watched him go. 

_So you got my attention Sidney Glass…but I’m not sure if it’s in the way that you originally intended._

**

Ashley knew the record was playing it’s last song and though she was loathe to move, having been laying across her bed with her head pillowed on Spencer’s stomach, she finally sat up with a groan. “Do you have a request for next album?”

The brunette glanced back and gave an affectionate smile to the blonde; Spencer’s eyes had been closed and though she knew the other girl hadn’t been sleeping she had looked at peace for the first time in hours. “Surprise me.” Spencer grinned. 

_Okay Davies, no pressure. This is the one thing you’re actually good at._ Ashley started flipping through her albums hoping inspiration would strike. _That’s too heavy, that’s too soft. God, too romantic. I don’t want her to think I’m trying something._ “Okay I got one.” Ashley finally selected an album and let it slide gently out of its sleeve. Ashley kept the mostly blue album cover away from Spencer on the off chance she had opened her eyes and could recognize it. “This is an album most people either loved or hated. I think the people that hated it didn’t understand what the purpose of the album was.”

“And what was the purpose of the album?” Spencer sat up now and Ashley tried not to notice that she pull herself up easily without using her arms. 

“Zero hype.” Ashley said simply. Spencer had moved so she didn’t try to reclaim her place cuddled against her and moved to sit cross legged beside her instead. “The whole album is stripped down, usually only one instrument. It didn’t need any more to get its point across.”

The opening acoustic guitar started and Ashley was pleased that Spencer knew the song. “James Blunt?”

“Mhmm. Perfect chillout music.”

“Is that what we’re doing? Chilling out while talking about our terrible childhoods?”

“I mean, yeah I guess. What else are an alcoholic and a pyromaniac who yelled at each other and then dredged up painful shit from our pasts supposed to do?” Ashley had barely finished speaking and she already was panicking. _Shit, was that completely uncalled for? Oh my god that wasn’t funny Davies._ Spencer seemed to sense her inner freak-out and rest a hand on her forearm. 

“You’re right, what else is there to do?” Spencer smirked before she got comfy against the headboard. “A memory a song?”

Ashley almost smiled. “Sure.” _Does she want me to start?_ “My parents forgot me in New York once. Literally drove away and left me at the venue for a couple hours until they realized and turned the bus around. I was like 5, sitting in a concert hall after hours by myself. And the worst part?” Ashley grit her teeth. “I’d be willing to bet now that neither my mother nor my father were the ones who even noticed. One of the band members probably did.” Those words burned leaving Ashley’s mouth and she was glad for Spencer’s silent support. 

The song was half over when Spencer spoke. “I remember once _she_ came home in a foul mood. I was the only one around and I knew I was going to be her whipping girl. She backhanded me and I went down and she pulled back her foot to kick me. I flailed and tried to squirm out of the way. I guess I moved different than she thought I would cause suddenly her foot was coming straight for my face.”

Ashley’s hands clenched involuntarily. “She kicked you in the face?”

“No. That was the worst part. She managed to stop herself, pulled her leg up and did a weird hop thing to avoid booting me in the teeth.” Spencer gave a deep sigh. “She wasn’t in a blackout rage. If she was she wouldn’t even have been able to rationalize that she was about to have to explain a severely busted up face to the cops. She was still totally rational and in control. She was kicking the hell out of me just because she liked it. Because it made her feel better.”

Ashley reached out and laid a hand on Spencer’s arm. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” 

“You’re the first person other than Emma that I’ve been able to talk about these things with.”

“You’re the first person I’ve been able to talk about the worst parts of my childhood with period.” The record continued to play and Ashley heard the iconic first strummed and play notes of _You’re Beautiful_. “I’ve seen my parents do so many drugs it isn’t even funny.” Ashley admitted. “I didn’t know what they were yet but I saw them snort coke, and shoot heroin and drop acid. And all the pot.” Ashley chuckled. “I’m sure I was second-hand contact stoned a lot as a child. That tour bus was like a roving hot box sometimes. I was always more fascinated by the instruments but if I had wanted to investigate their other things I could have been a five year old snorting coke.”

“I’m glad you weren’t a little druggie, Ash.”

_No, apparently I was worse._ “I just found out recently that I was baby alcoholic though.” Ashley forced a smile. “Apparently I drank even in the womb.”

“Oh, Ashley.” Spencer snuggled closer beside her. “I’m sorry so much shit is changing and happening all at once. I’m incredibly proud of you for trying to handle everything.”

Ashley barked a laugh. “I’m barely handling shit. Between my parents being the biggest dead-beats on the planet, and Regina apparently supposed to have been my mom, and Henry being old enough to realize I’m a shit, and the threat of rehab hanging over my head and classes I’m failing and need to pass and then there’s you and Emma. Not that you’re bad things! Just…it’s a lot.”

“I know, Ash. But you know what? You were wrong and I just realized it.”

“I was wrong? About what?” _It’s likely and I believe you but you just gotta explain it to me._

“There is something else we could be doing right now.” Spencer abruptly got up and darted across the room to stop the record player. “You do have an incredible amount of stuff on your plate and the best thing we can do is deal with things one step at a time.”

_Oh._ “Uh, Spence. I was fine sharing things when we were chilling out and kinda in the moment, but God I don’t know if I can handle digging deep into any more emotional,”

“We can do homework.”

_Okay not where I thought you were going with that._ “Oh. Homework. Right.”

Spencer grinned and Ashley got the distinct impression that she enjoyed putting her off balance. “Yes, homework. Your deal with de Vil. You read chapter 3 and 4 of the book, right?” The blonde arched an eyebrow and Ashley laughed.

“I did, I did, look.” Ashley stretched her frame out while laying down so she could reach the worn looking book beside her bed. “See?” Ashley showed her where the bookmark was a charming smile. “Pip brings the stuff he was supposed to get to the marshes and finds a different fucking convict than the one he was looking for because, what are the fucking chances.” Ashley laughs. “He eventually gives the shit to the first escapee and the convict is like, super pissed when he mentions the first one. Drama!” Ashley had begun speaking like Madison to make Spencer laugh. “Then Pip has to panic the entire Christmas dinner because he thinks he’s going to get in trouble for helping the convict escape when, surprise surprise, police bust into the house out of the blue.”

Spencer came over to grab a pillow and smack Ashley with it. 

Ashley’s grin was lecherous. “Are we having a pillow fight?”

“Down girl.” Spencer smirked. “So, what medium do you think you’re going to attempt?” 

_If I knew I would have done it by now, Spence._ Ashley turned a pleading look to Spencer. “What medium would you do if you were me?”

“Ashley…”

“No, I’m serious! Look we all know my only thing is music, and I got the idea of doing a comic book from Henry. So,” she drew the word out, “if I was going to get an idea from you, what would it be?” Ashley fluttered her eyelashes. She was surprised when Spencer actually conceded. 

“That’s easy, I’d write a screenplay.”

“Like, a play on stage?”

“More like the script for a movie.”

“Oh. I don’t think de Vil would accept that. Just taking the lines from the book and writing them down.” She could tell instantly that she was offended Spencer with her statement. Whoops. 

“Writing or adapting a screenplay isn’t just writing the words down, Ash! Don’t you watch movies?”

“Not...really?”

Spencer shook her head playfully. “Okay here’s the deal. Actually wait, is that TV actually hooked up to cable or is it just for show because you only listen to music?” The blonde teased, using her thumb to point over her shoulder and Ashley’s widescreen. 

The brunette rolled her eyes. “It’s hooked up.” She dug in her side drawer for the remote. “What’s your point?”

“I’m going to give you an example.” Spencer began scrolling through the movie channels and Ashley was busy watching her. _Goddamn she’s cute. God Davies how could you have thought the worst of her?_ “Oh! This one is perfect. Okay here.” Ashley looked at the screen in time to see a younger Heath Ledger flip open a switchblade and stab it into a dissected frog on a plate. 

“Yummy. What are we watching?”

Spencer slapped her playfully again. “ _10 Things I Hate About You_ and we’re discussing the fact that you haven’t seen this at another point in time. This movie is actually an adaptation from Shakespeare’s play _The Taming of the Shrew_.”

“Right. And your point is?” Ashley smirked when Spencer rolled her eyes again.

“This 90’s movie starring Heath Ledger is obviously not the exact same as the 16th century play, Ash. But the basic storyline at its core is actually telling the same story.”

Ashley stopped watching Spencer’s mouth and hands as she explained and tried to keep up. “Okay. And?”

“And it was adapted to be modernized, Ash. Great Expectations is an old story now. So, you should write the adapted screenplay. Same story, just modernized.”

Ashley actually sat up a little more. _That could actually work._ “Right. So now skulking around in the marshes, instead could be like, trolling on the internet?” Ashley beamed when Spencer smiled wide. 

“Now you’re getting it. C’mon, get your laptop. I’ll help you.”

Ashley watched as Spencer got a little more animated and was seeming more like her usual self. 

_And from now on I’ll help you, Spence. With anything._

**

Emma took once last look at the wreckage that was Tony’s and, in the quickly waning light, couldn’t think of anything else to check. She already knew that the arsonist had broken in the alley window and hoisted themselves up and in. She had dusted for fingerprints along the window sill and the remaining window but she didn’t hold out much hope. She had carefully entered the building itself and found a few of the remains of the glass on the inside but she held even less hope of the glass retaining any fingerprints or DNA after they had been through the blaze. She had thoroughly checked the window, the pane, and the alley, hoping that the arsonist had cut themselves and bled at some point but it seemed like her luck wasn’t quite that good. 

The blonde pulled out her phone as she headed back for the cruiser. 

[So, do you need me to bring anything tonight?] She texted Regina and forced herself not to smile. Before Regina the thought of having a date, staying in and casual, that was just intended to be talk would have be terrifying; Emma had too many secrets and half-truths to navigate so anyone asking her questions make her nervous. 

But this was Regina. 

Their first date had been perfect and there was no awkwardness and Emma hadn’t felt like she was at the inquisition. She had enjoyed talking to Regina and the woman was definitely something else. 

[At the risk of sounding like a character with a cheesy line in one of those rom-coms that Spencer loves, no, just yourself.]

Emma grinned widely at the response as she slid into the front seat of the cruiser. _Even that. Even something so simple and of course Regina knows the perfect response_. [I can’t wait then. I’ll be over as soon as I’m done at the station.]

[Has there been any new developments?]

Regina’s response was quicker now and Emma figured she had put down whatever she had been doing. It made Emma feel appreciated even as she tried not to read too much into it. The blonde cleared her throat. _C’mon Swan. Calm and cool. Those are your things._

[Well I used some really stunning detective work today and ruled out the elderly and the obese as our culprits for the arson.]

[Good job.]

Emma grinned because without any inflection or emotion whatsoever Emma could still picture the deadpanned face and unimpressed voice Regina would be using.

[I’ll explain when I see you. No serious developments yet.]

Emma scrolled to a different contact and instead of texting she quickly hit the dial button. 

“Hey Ems.”

“Hey Spence.” Emma smiled at her sister’s voice. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I’m uh, I’m actually at Ashley’s.”

Emma’s smile slipped a little. “What?”

“Look, I know what you’re going to say.” Spencer immediately jumped in. “I know we’re not supposed to hang out, necessarily speaking, but here’s the thing. You were fine with me being here for cooking lessons and stuff, and me meeting Ashley in the park. So, we interpreted the rules as you were fine with just me and Ashley hanging out as long as no one else was there and there was no partying or drinking or anything like that.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “You interpreted the rules?”

“There was a grey-area?” Spencer tried and Emma rolled her eyes. “Look, Emma.” The elder blonde could hear some shuffling around and some movement and she figured that Spencer had moved away from Ashley so that she wasn’t listening. “You know how much I respect you and the rules that you set. I know you don’t want me near Ashley when she’s proven to be violent, but when it’s just me and her together there is zero chance of that. And Ashley really respects your rules too, I swear. When I met her in the park the first thing she asked was if you knew about it.”

“I believe you.” Emma sighed. She felt like she was in an impossible place. She knew she needed to set rules and boundaries and stick to them, but she also had an unfailing faith in Spencer and her opinion. _If I didn’t trust her opinion we would have been out of this town after the first fire and break-in._ “And I understand it’s a tricky situation, Spencer. Because I don’t want to hurt either one of you, or your feelings, but I have to be a parent here as well.” _And there’s the fact that Ashley bailed on a very important interview with me today. Either she bailed because she wasn’t okay, or she bailed to hang out with you which is not okay._ “So how has it been? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Emma clenched her teeth. Spencer was very good. Emma had been teaching her to lie to her entire life. How to lie to teachers, and police officers and the other kids in school. How to tell a convincing lie casually or under pressure. How to tell good lies as opposed to bad ones. How to tell lies in a way that you’ll remember them. Spencer was definitely very good.

But she had never fooled Emma. 

_Kid just lied to me._ “Are you sure? Nothing’s gone down?” Emma gave her a second chance to come clean. 

“No, all good. We’ve just been here doing homework.”

Emma closed her eyes and rested her head against the head rest. “Okay, kiddo. I told you earlier you were on your own for dinner right?”

“Yeah, I’ve got plans with Aiden at Granny’s. I’ll be leaving Ash’s soon.”

“Okay, kiddo. Love you.”

“Love you too Ems.”

Emma listened to the phone click off in her ear and she tossed it down onto the passenger seat. 

_So Spencer lied. Something did happen today. Presumably something with Ashley because she didn’t come to her interview with me. But, Spencer did move away from Ashley when talking to me, so maybe Ashley doesn’t know that Spencer was lying? Or she could and Spencer was hiding that conversation for a different reason._

Emma started the cruiser and started driving to the station on autopilot. _Spencer doesn’t lie to me. Not about important things. So, does that mean that whatever is going on it isn’t important? Or is it something so important that Spencer has finally deemed something more important than keeping her trust with me?_ Emma’s teeth were clenched again. 

_Between the break-in, and a second arsonist, and being forced to be a fucking cop like her, and Spencer actually lying to me, what was my rational for staying in this town again?_

Emma looked down at her phone and saw she had a text message from Regina she hadn’t read. [I trust you. And I’ll see you soon.]

_Oh yeah. That reason._

**

“Do you ever wonder what life in this town would be without gossip?” Spencer asked and tilted her head up so she could actually see the expression on Aiden’s face when he laughed.

“Probably even more boring than it already is. Although, I don’t really know if Storybrooke can be classed as boring right now.”

_Oh yeah. The arsonist. Can’t forget that._ “Things can be interesting in a bad way.”

“Definitely.” Aiden eyed the blonde walking down Main Street beside him. “You okay Spence? You’ve just seemed a little…uh…”

“Melancholic? Forlorn? Despondent?”

Aiden blinked. “Well I don’t know what any of those mean, so I was just going to say “off”.”

_Why should I be off? My maybe almost girlfriend accused me of fire-setting and murder. And the worst part is I can’t even be mad at her because she was mostly right._ Spencer found she was more hurt than mad. Less because of the actual accusation and more at the way Ashley had gone about things. _And how can I be mad and stay hurt when Ashley told me even if it was all true that she would help me get help and get out of this town? Where does that even put us?_

“Spencer?”

The blonde jumped and smiled sheepishly at her friend. “God, sorry Aiden.” She slipped her arm through his. “I was listening, I promise. I was just stuck in my head for a second.”

“Okay. Is everything alright with Ashley?”

_Good God how does one answer that?_ “Yeah, things are mostly okay.”

“Is it Ashley’s drinking and stuff?”

“No.” Spencer really didn’t want to put everything on Ashley. “It’s me too. Since these fires,” _fuck, shit, what do I say now,_ “fires are just kinda a touchy subject.”

“Oh my god.” Aiden abruptly stopped walking and Spencer was pulled to sudden stop by their linked arms. “Oh fuck, Spencer.” The blonde could see how much her words had affected him and guilt swam in bright blue eyes. “Oh my god, I’m a terrible friend.” Aiden’s free hand was nervously running through his hair. “We all heard that rumour about your parents but I didn’t even fucking think about that when these fires…”

“Aiden, Aid, seriously its okay.” _Oh god now you’ve made Aiden feel guilty over nothing._ Spencer held his one arm with both her hands. “I’m really okay. Yeah I’m…a little touchy I guess,” _God why did Emma ever let me pick the story about how they died in a fire,_ “but really I’m okay. Just a lot on my mind.”

“Okay.” 

_God how does anyone ever stay mad at him, he looks like a kicked puppy._ “C’mon. Make it up to me and buy me a cheeseburger.”

Aiden brightened noticeable and gallantly offered his elbow again. “Deal.” He also politely held the door open for her when they reached Granny’s and Spencer grinned at Ruby’s usual dance of coordinated chaos around the restaurant. 

“Staying or going, Spence?” Ruby called out at the sight of them. 

“Going.”

“Meet me at the bar.” Ruby placed down five drinks off a tray with a large smile. 

“Oh Ruby! I finally got my blue hair dye!” Spencer cheered as she crossed the restaurant. 

“Score!” The waitress high-fived her on the way by. “Come by here one night late and we’ll do you up good. Be with you in one second.”

There was only one seat at the bar open and Aiden gave it to her while they waited; Spencer rolled her eyes when she noticed sitting up on a bar stool only brought her close to Aiden’s standing height.

“Dennison?” 

Spencer turned to the seat beside her to see who had called for her friend. He was decently good looking, his brown hair was long and pulled into a bun and he had just a hint of a goatee. 

“Planter? Dude, how’s it going?” Aiden smiled widely and reached around Spencer to fist bump the guy. 

“Thought that was you, man.” The guy grinned. 

“Shit, we never see you around anymore.” Aiden remarked. “How you been?”

“You know the mine, man. Same shit every day. So, who’s you friend?”

Spencer grinned a little shyly to be acknowledged. 

“Oh sorry.” Aiden startled a little. “My bad. Dude, this is Spencer Swan. Spence, this is Mark Planter. He was the superstar legend on the basketball team when I was in the ninth grade.”

Mark scoffed and Spencer could see the good humour in his face. “He only says that I was the superstar because he took my spot. Heard you beat my record last season and everything.” He teased.

Aiden grinned and shrugged. “Sorry, dude.”

“Records are made to be broken, brother.” Mark took a sip of his beer. “And I see you’re just as much of a ladies man as I was.”

It was hard to say who blushed harder; Aiden or Spencer. “We’re just friends.” They said awkwardly in stereo. 

“Oh. My bad.” Mark smiled. Spencer got the impression he didn’t mind so much making them blush. “I’m sure as your friend then, you’ve told her about the time you had just made the team, and we all decided that you had t-”

Aiden cleared his throat loudly. “You’re pretty tough from working in the mines, dude, but I think I could take you.”

Mark laughed loudly and tipped his beer at Aiden in a manner that said “probably”. “Swan, did you say?” Mark turned his look to Spencer. “I assume there’s some relation to Deputy Swan?”

Spencer perked up a little. “Yeah, she’s my older sister. You…know my sister?”

Mark laughed again. “Not in the bad way. She actually arrested my roommate.”

“What?” Aiden seemed surprised. 

“Yeah, Spunk. Went down for drugs I think.”

“Drugs?” Aiden leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Possession or distribution?”

“I don’t know.” Mark shrugged. “The Sheriff didn’t like, discuss it with me or whatever. But they came into my place and checked his room out and then went and arrested him at work. The Sheriff actually pulled me aside and asked me if it was okay to come check out the rest of the house. Said some stuff about rumours about drugs and a break-in or something.”

_And a break-in? Emma arrested the guy who might have broken into our house and she didn’t say anything to me about it?_

“Well fuck.” Aiden breathed.

“Yeah. Gonna put a damper on some of the ragers you guys manage to throw?” Mark asked with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

Aiden smiled thinly. “We haven’t really been raging lately.” 

Mark finished his beer with a final gulp. “Well, I say have the fun now while you can, bro. Do it now before I see you in the mine in a year. Here,” he moved his empty bottle aside and stepped easily off his bar stool, “I was just stalling but I’ll go so you can have my seat.”

“I won’t.” Aiden clenched his teeth. Spencer looked at him in shock. “See you in the mine in a year.” He clarified. 

Mark gave a slightly sad, and also slightly patronising, smile. “I hope not dude. See you around. Nice to meet you, Spencer.”

“You too.” Spencer smiled automatically and watched Aiden somewhat mechanically take the empty spot. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” Aiden looked rattled by the news. “I can’t believe Spunk got arrested.”

“Spunk was the um, guy…from the party Ashley took me too?”

“Hmm? Yeah, oh yeah. He’s handy for those type of things.”

Spencer thought back to that night. “You know, I could have sworn he was awkwardly avoiding me that night.”

Aiden finally cracked a smile. “He probably was. Ashley had been told by Emma to make sure you didn’t get in any trouble, she probably ordered Spunk away from you.”

“Ashley can order around a drug dealer?” Spencer made sure to keep her voice low. 

The athlete merely shrugged. “She’s…or she was, good for business. Back before all this stuff.”

_And he might be the person that broke into our house?_ “How well do you or Ashley know him?”

Aiden shrugged again. “Not well. Not personally. Uh, Ashley knew him better than me anyway.” 

_Does she now? I wonder what Ashley can tell me about him. And I wonder what else Emma hasn’t been telling me._

**

Regina opened the door to a grinning Emma and she had to fight to control her own blinding smile. “Deputy.”

“Madam Mayor.” Emma stepped inside the mansion when Regina stepped aside and the brunette took the opportunity to check the blonde out. She was wearing simple tight and low-slung jeans, a tank top and a comfortable plaid button-up; Regina was glad that Emma had taken their casual date seriously and hadn’t tried too hard. Regina herself was only wearing slacks and a soft plum coloured sweater. “So, I figure we’ve got two options here.” 

“Oh?” Regina noticed that the blonde was slightly nervous and had jammed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as Regina had taken the offered coat and hung it up. “Do tell me.”

“Well, I figure we can get all of the work or serious stuff out of the way first, so that we’re comfortable later…or we can save the serious stuff until we’re comfortable.”

“Hmm.” Regina pretended to think while she led Emma to the kitchen. “First option. Definitely.” 

“Work first, play later, got it.” Emma smirked and Regina shot her a smile over her shoulder as she reached up for wine glasses. “You know, if this was one of those cheesy rom-coms that neither of us like, I’d slid up behind you to use my superior height to reach those wine glasses.”

Regina smirked as she got them down herself. “And of course I’d have frozen and leaned back a little so you could feel me.”

“Yeah. Who on earth would want that to happen?”

“What happened to work first, deputy?” Regina teased and reached for the wine bottle she’d set out. 

“Right okay.” 

Regina listened intently as Emma explained the window and the method the arsonist had used to break into Tony’s. “So are we looking for someone athletic?”

Emma made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat. “Unfortunately, I think no. It wasn’t _too_ high and the person would have been amped up and hyped. It really could have been anyone.”

“Except the elderly and the obese.”

“Pretty much. I’ll keep working on it.”

Regina gave a genuine smile as she handed Emma her wineglass. “I know you will.” She cleared her throat and took a step back. “Any new news about Spunketti?”

“Nothing yet.” Regina could tell that Emma was holding back.

“Hey, Emma? It’s just you and me here. This isn’t an official deputy to mayor meeting. I, I hope you know you can talk to me.”

Emma took a large swallow from her wine. “I have no proof. I only have a gut feeling.”

“Well,” Regina blushed lightly, “if there was anyone’s gut that I would trust in this town, it would be yours.” The cheesy words were worth it for the look of affection that crossed Emma’s features. 

“I guess…I just don’t believe that Spunk is guilty of all this.”

“All what? You found drugs in his room?”

Emma actually laughed. “A grinder full and a bong, so yeah, the kid might be a pothead but I barely care about that.”

“You took the backpack full of drugs off him, Emma.”

“I know, I know.” Emma’s voice turned a little exasperated. “I just…don’t believe it anymore. Don’t feel it. Yeah he may be dealing drugs but I think he’s in trouble too.”

“You really believe that he has a boss in town?”

“I really do.”

“Then find proof, Emma.” Regina nodded. “If you believe it, I have faith in you. And you need to find proof.” To Regina’s surprise Emma didn’t smile. 

“There’s more.”

Regina’s jaw clenched when Emma told her about Belle’s visit and that Spunketti had checked out the books in the library that had chapters on arson.

“And now Graham is even trying to blame the break-in at my house on Spunk again, and I just…”

“Don’t feel it.” Regina arched an eyebrow. “Let me get this straight, the town has a thief, an arsonist and a drug dealer and there is evidence, or circumstance, that points to Calvin Spunketti being all three of these things and you just don’t believe it?”

Emma sighed and Regina realized she’d said the wrong thing. “I know it sounds crazy. I’m not saying he’s a saint or perfect but I think he’s just a kid in a bad way.”

“Like Ashley.” Regina stated. When Emma looked away Regina found herself propelled forward so she could take Emma’s hand in her own; she was grateful when Emma didn’t pull away. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you. I told you that I have faith in you. But is it a possibility that maybe Spunketti is just, I don’t know, triggering your “need to save people” instinct that led you to trying to help Ashley?”

Emma sighed deeply. “Honestly? Maybe. And if Spunk turns out to be the kid that everyone thinks he is then I’ll admit I was wrong. I just…”

“Don’t think you are.” Regina gave a soft smile. “I like you Emma.” Regina flushed when Emma startled because that wasn’t exactly what she had meant to say. _Come on, Regina, damage control._ “What I meant was,” _okay maybe that is exactly what I meant_ , “yes, I like you. And even when you’re being stubborn and bullheaded and going against the rest of the town, I like that about you. That you’ll go out on a limb to try and save a troubled kid. I know that’s who you are, and I like that about you.”

Emma leaned down and Regina smiled into the kiss that the blonde pressed chastely against her lips. “Sorry.” Emma grinned when she pulled away. “That was getting very close to a rom-com speech and I felt I needed to cut you off. 

“By all means.” Regina smiled. She stepped away to refill their wineglasses and she knew that Emma was watching her again. 

“So, speaking of Ashley. How is she doing?”

“Fine, I think.” Regina carefully poured the wine. “She’s upstairs doing homework. And when I spoke to her it looked like she was actually doing homework, so.”

“And she seemed okay?”

“A little distracted, maybe, but I guess I hoped she was just working. Why?” Regina caught the contemplative look in Emma’s eye. “If there’s something going on I need to know…”

“No, no. I just...” Emma seemed to be having a debate with herself and Regina was just about to speak again when Emma seemed to come to a decision. “I think Spencer lied to me.”

_Oh my god, she’s going to actually let you in._ “Why?”

“Well,” Emma smirked, “I should have said I know Spencer is lying to me. I always know when someone is lying. I’m just not sure why. Did you know Spencer was here today? This evening?”

_Please tell me there is not something going on in my home that I don’t know about. Again._ “No, I didn’t. Do you think…?”

“I don’t know what to think. Ashley bailing on the interview and Spencer lying to me sounds like something is going on. But if Ashley is upstairs doing homework fine and Spencer is fine then I can’t imagine what it would be.”

_Not the kids, please. I can’t handle something else going on with the kids right now._ “If you want I can ask Ashley…” Regina let the sentence trail off already dreading that talk. To her surprise Emma stepped into her space and took her hand that wasn’t holding her wine glass in a tight grip. 

“No. I know how much your relationship with Ashley means to you right now. I won’t ask you to put that in contention.”

“I’m her,” _mother_ , “guardian, Emma. And if something is going on with her again then I can handle it. I don’t have to be her best friend, I just have to do what’s best for her.” This time she was genuinely surprised by the chaste kiss that lingered against her lips.

“I know. And that makes you such an incredible mother, Regina. But it’s not necessary this time. I can handle the kids, and as soon as I need an assist I will call you.” 

“Okay.” _Good lord she might be perfect._ “How would you feel about leaving behind the serious and the wine, and moving to my study for some cider?” Regina smirked when Emma drained her nearly full wineglass in a large mouthful. 

“Perfect.” 

Regina took a calming breath, and tried to hide it, as she led Emma to the other room. She wasn’t trying to be supremely seductive, _mostly_ , but the fireplace in her office was lit and there was definitely a different ambiance in the quiet room.

“So.” Emma rocked back on her heels. “That glass of cider?”

“Of course.” Regina was almost glad to turn away from the blonde and gather their drinks again because for some reason Emma being nervous and adorable as opposed to her usual confidence and assuredness was somehow working for her. 

Emma had taken her place on one side of the couch and Regina sat down beside her when she handed over the drink. 

“Still the best cider I’ve ever tasted.” Emma grinned and Regina blushed. “So, we’ve got the cheesy, I was helping you with something high up moment out of the way, and there’s no awkward first kiss situation.”

“Or second, or third.” Regina smiled.

“Or second or third, right. So, I haven’t seen enough rom-coms to know what we’re supposed to do next?”

Regina swallowed. “Well, there’s the ever cheesy, so tell me something I don’t know about you, question that one of us should ask.” Regina was surprised when Emma seemed to steel herself. 

“Something you don’t know about me. Okay. Well you already know that I can’t cook so…how about that,” she drew the word out, “oh okay. I can actually fold origami. Like really well.”

“Like, folding paper?” Regina smiled. “Like making a crane?”

Emma scoffed. “Please, crane is like the very first beginner thing that people learn to fold. I meant it seriously, I’m actually really good at it.”

“I believe you.” Regina smiled again. _God she’s adorable_. “Will you fold me something?”

“Uh,” Emma glanced around the room and spotted printer paper over by Regina’s laptop, “sure, yeah.” Regina watched Emma get a piece of paper and when she sat back down she was more on the edge of the sofa so she could use the low coffee table. “Are you going to tell me something I don’t know?”

“First you have to tell me about origami.” She was watching Emma make two creases in the paper, folding back and forth and flipping it over, and then she ripped the paper easily along the seams. Regina arched an eyebrow. 

“Origami starts as a square.” Emma explained. She started folding new creases in the paper. She took her time and folded carefully, lining up the edges and making sure the creases in the paper were crisp. _Oh my god she’s got good hands._ Sure fingers. Regina snapped herself out of her staring contest with Emma’s hands when the blonde started speaking. “I find it calming. Like meditation almost. I started when I was really little. We didn’t really…have a lot of toys or anything and a lot of the time we had to entertain ourselves. I kept at it. This,” Emma showed Regina the paper which now just looked like a smaller diamond, “is called the traditional bird base. Most of origami actually starts from only a few different base folds.” Regina watched, completely enraptured, as she continued folding, sometimes undoing her own work and then using the crease lines to fold in other ways. Emma cleared her throat. “Regina?”

She startled again and realized that as she’d been staring, _and daydreaming about those hands_ , Emma had finished and was now holding the creation out to her. 

“Holy shit.”

Emma burst out laughing. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you swear like that.”

Regina reached out for the small paper dragon with an almost shaky hand. “That’s incredible.”

The blonde preened a little and smiled smugly. “Thank you.”

“Seriously, that’s amazing, Emma.” 

Emma’s smile turned a little less cocky and a little more bashful. “Thank you.” It was almost whispered. 

Regina gently set the paper dragon down on the coffee table where it wouldn’t get wrecked. “My turn?”

Emma gulped. “If you want.”

“May I?” Regina was reaching gently for the collar of Emma’s button down shirt. The blonde nodded shakily. “I’m not sure if you actually know this about me or not,” Regina used her hand to direct Emma a little and she brought her other hand up to Emma’s shoulder, “but I really, actually, do not like tattoos.” Emma rolled her shoulders and allowed Regina to slide the open shirt off of her and she pulled her arms carefully from the sleeves. “Perhaps that was a little…judgemental or stereotypical of me.” Regina was speaking softly. “But the only people in my mind who had tattoos were criminals and sailors. I thought they were trashy.”

Emma snickered softly. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

“But now.” Emma sat back and Regina let her eyes rove over all the ink she that she could see. In only a tank top Emma was displaying her two sleeves in their completion. 

“But now?” Emma prompted in an almost whisper. 

“Now I don’t see these as tattoos. They’re just…part of you. And how could I not like this part of you?” Regina whispered back. Emma half turned into her on the couch and Regina, openly for the first time in front of Emma, let her eyes feast on all the ink. 

Even she could tell that every tattoo was masterfully done. The skin that had supposedly been ripped away to display the pride flag looked truly gruesome. Each and every bat flying from the batcave looked incredibly lifelike and the inky black depths of the inside of the cave looked like it went on forever. The chessboards glass and all of the broken pieces, with two still standing queens, truly glinted in the light and the robe that was sheathing the Lady Justice statue looked so real Regina felt like she could run her fingers through the fabric. 

And then there was the snake coiled around the top of Emma’s shoulder. _The tattoo she got for Spencer_. Open mouthed and fierce, with multi-coloured scales that changed patterns and rested up like it was truly ready to strike. It looked so real that in the flickering firelight Regina could easily imagine that the scales on Emma’s skin were real. 

“Regina.” Emma’s whisper was harsh. “You’re kinda killing me here.”

The brunette realized that Emma was sitting still and tense, letting Regina examine her; it was Regina herself who had moved. She had come up on her knees to see the tattoos better and she had been leaning in closer and closer. It was Emma’s determination to remain still, to let Regina look at the most personal parts of herself, that broke Regina’s resolve. 

“Wouldn’t want that.” Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Had to go with the cheesy rom-com line di-”

Regina cut of her off with a kiss. She pressed plump lips against thinner ones and felt Emma’s hands immediately find her hips. Regina slowly teased and caressed Emma’s lips before deepening the kiss. Emma’s hands pulled her closer and Regina slid her one knee over Emma’s lap so that she now had the blonde straddled. 

Emma groaned and the sound caused Regina’s stomach to clench and drop. She kissed Emma harder, deeper, and Emma’s hands rhythmically clenched and flexed. Regina gave a teasing lick along Emma’s tongue and then kissed along her jawline to her ear. “Am I killing you now?” Regina’s voice was deep and she rocked her hips into Emma’s tensed stomach as she spoke.

Emma moaned.

Regina’s hands wove into blonde hair as she licked along the shell of Emma’s ear, breathing huskily, before nipping and biting down Emma’s neck to her throat. The blonde tilted her head back to give Regina more room and the brunette scraped her teeth along her skin. 

Emma’s hands slid around from her hips to grab her ass and it was Regina’s turn to moan when Emma grabbed her almost roughly and forced her pelvis against her hard stomach. “Emma.”

The brunette’s hands pulled Emma’s hair sharply and Emma responded by squeezing her ass and pulling her against her tensed abdomen again; Regina couldn’t help but groan at the friction and she sank her teeth into Emma’s throat with a bit more force than strictly necessary.

_Oh my god you’re making out with Emma. You’re actually making out with Emma on the couch in your study like some teenager._

“Regina. Regina.”

The brunette lost all semblance of thought with Emma whimpering her name like that. She left Emma’s throat and kissed her again, hard. Her hips were rocking constantly now and she sank completely into Emma’s body. 

Her one hand slid from Emma’s hair and she scraped her fingernails down the smooth skin of Emma’s neck. _Good lord this woman can kiss_. Her thumb put a bit of testing pressure against Emma’s windpipe before sliding down farther. Her fingertips quested along smooth skin traveling from her neck to her shoulder. 

_God it should not turn me on this much knowing I’m finally touching those tattoos._

Her fingertips moved down and Regina knew the first tattoo she would encounter would be the snake. She sucked teasingly at Emma’s tongue and her fingers teased along- _what the fuck?_

Regina pulled back from the kiss and her hand flinched back from Emma’s shoulder instinctively. _What on earth?_ Regina was panting slightly, and Emma had her eyes closed, and she locked her eyes onto the snake tattoo. _That actually felt kind of like…snakeskin. What the hell?_

“Regina.” Emma’s voice was no longer laced with hunger and desire; it was resigned. 

The brunette leaned back even farther so she could look, _really look_ , at Emma’s shoulder. At first all she could see was the ink; the bright colours and the amazing lines and design. Tentatively Regina reached out again and brushed her fingers against Emma’s skin; it was no longer smooth. 

_Oh my god. Oh my god, these are scars._

Regina felt along the image of the snake and could see that the amazing texture the picture depicted actually came from the mottled and puckered scar underneath it. “Oh my god.” Regina whispered. She let her fingers continue down and her jaw dropped in horror as she felt along Emma’s skin. “Oh my god.” Hardly any of Emma’s skin was unblemished; her arms were a complete patchwork quilt of scars.

The blonde finally cleared her throat. “I think we should talk.”


	15. Changing Worlds

Regina knew she should be looking at Emma’s eyes. She knew she would get more answers looking into that emerald gaze than she was staring at Emma’s arms. She knew she was being rude and probably hurting Emma’s feelings…but she just could not draw her eyes away from Emma’s scars. _Oh my god. Oh my god._

The brunette was still having a difficult time seeing them clearly through all the artwork on Emma’s skin but now that she knew they were there she couldn’t stop staring. _All of the skin underneath the snake felt scarred._ Regina’s fingers practically itched to feel the rest of Emma’s skin so she could investigate. _God I felt ridges and puckered skin and smooth raised lines. What the hell happened to her?_

“Regina.” 

She snapped to attention and, finally, brought her gaze away from Emma’s ink and to her eyes. She had been mistaken thinking there would be answers or pain in Emma’s eyes; instead there was nothing. Emma’s expression had shuttered closed and Regina could tell nothing at all. 

“Emma.” _Oh god, what did I do? How long have I been staring? Why did I pull away like that?_ She had flinched away from Emma’s lips, her skin and then shifted awkwardly off her lap but then had done nothing but stare. _What is wrong with me?_ “Emma, oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Emma’s voice was cold. “I’m used to it. I should have foreseen this coming.”

“Emma.” _Okay that was admittedly not good, Regina._ “Emma, wait.” But the blonde was already standing from the couch and walking away from her.

“It’s fine, Regina. We don’t have to talk, I’ll just go.”

_Does she think I’m going to roll over and let her pull away from me? Not a chance._ “Emma. Stop.” Regina let a little of her mayoral voice creep in and barked out almost an order. “Just wait.” With fingers she forced not to tremble she reached out and took Emma’s wrist to pull her around. She couldn’t help but notice that the skin under her fingers, the tattoo of the pride flag, was ridged and uneven and anything but smooth. “I reacted poorly, and I apologize. I was taken off-guard, okay? We were having a well, a moment, and I was just shocked. Please. Sit back down. Talk to me?” The wait was nearly unbearable as Emma stood, half still poised to leave, with her muscles locked and her expression guarded. The blonde didn’t move for an entire minute until she looked down at the wrist Regina was holding. The brunette realized that her thumb had been rubbing steadily back and forth over a particular scar. Regina didn’t still the motion even as Emma watched. _Oh my god this scar feels like it was deep. What on earth could have caused this?_

When Emma finally turned Regina let her hand fall away and Emma resumed her seat on the couch, although now she was sitting straight-backed and not quite looking at Regina. _You are not pulling away from me, Emma, not now._

Regina sat directly beside her and clasped her closest hand between both of her own. “Will you tell me?”

Emma shrugged. “What’s there to tell? I’m clearly very badly scarred. People stared at my arms no matter what so I figured I might as well do something so that they stare for something I’ve chosen myself.”

The brunette swallowed thickly. “So…all of these tattoos, all these pictures are…”

“Covering up scars?” Emma’s voice was bitter. “Yeah pretty much.”

“Emma.” _What on earth is the right thing to say?_ “I’m sorry you had to go through this much pain.” Regina ended up speaking from the heart; and right now her heart was hurting at the thought of Emma being in pain. 

“It’s fine.”

“It isn’t.” Regina’s voice was firm. “You being in pain isn’t okay.” Regina noticed her eyes had trailed to the ink again and she wanted to curse herself. 

“You can look.” The blonde’s voice still held no real emotion. “I know you don’t like tattoos but trust me, the scars were uglier.”

“Okay stop it.” Regina snapped. “I reacted badly, I admitted that. But you do not get to take away the moment we already had, Emma. I told you how I felt about your tattoos and you don’t get to ignore that because of what’s happened now. Now will you talk to me?”

Emma finally looked up and met her eyes. “I didn’t want to watch everything like…fade away.”

“What fade away?” Her voice was gentle again.

“Everything. The way you looked at me. How you felt about the ink. How you…felt about me.”

Regina’s teeth clicked together. “You thought a few scars would change the way I feel about you? Do you really think me so shallow?” Only the pained look that Emma was finally showing her stopped Regina from snapping again.

“I know they’re…repulsive. And they don’t…feel great or anything.”

“Emma.” Regina held the blonde’s hand tightly. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told you about your tattoos. They are a part of you…so how could I not like them?” Regina very purposefully freed one of her hands so she could trail her fingers, once again, up and down Emma’s arms. 

A part of her felt slightly sick to her stomach when she realized exactly how much of Emma’s arms were scar tissue; the other part of her marvelled at Emma’s clear strength. “Will you tell me?” She whispered again. Her fingers lingered over the snake around her shoulder. 

“That was like the last one I got. It’s a burn.” Emma whispered back. Regina used the pads of her fingers to feel the skin and tried not to let her eyes get distracted by but the incredible art of the snakeskin over it.

“A burn?” Regina’s voice was carefully neutral. 

“I was getting Spence out of the fire. I got hurt.” 

Regina swallowed thickly. _So you got this burn saving Spencer and covered it up with your childhood nickname for her._ Regina, very slowly so that Emma could stop her if she wished, leaned forward and placed her lips reverently on the image of the snake; on the marbled burn scar underneath. She felt more than heard Emma’s shaky exhale when she kissed her skin gently. “I’m very sorry you got hurt.” Regina whispered with her lips still brushing the scar. “But I’m very happy you saved Spencer.”

“Me too.” Emma’s voice was thick with emotion. 

“What of the others?” Regina leaned away a little so she could continue her exploration with her fingers. The way the tattoos hid the scars was almost unbelievable to Regina. Her fingers would find a particular long, or deep, jagged scar and she would move her eyes to the spot and still have difficulty seeing it. The way the robe on the Lady Justice statue curled in the wind followed the curve of a scar completely and hid the ridge in shadow. Smaller scars, deep but almost perfect circles, were hidden as the head of each bat that flew from the batcave and the texture just made them seem real. The completely mottled and torn skin surrounding her wrist was hidden in plain sight in the pride flag tattoo where the skin had been inked as if flesh had been torn away. 

“I don’t know.”

Only years of dealing with Ashley let Regina hold back her audible scoff. “Emma.”

“What?” Emma’s voice was defensive. “Any person who tells you they can name the exact story and moment for every single nick and mark on their body is fucking lying.”

Regina ignored the curse with patience. “But you know the cause of some of them.”

Emma sagged slightly in the couch. “What do you want to hear me say, Regina? That I got beat as a child? Okay, I did. There was a lot of abuse. When our parents died in the fire we truthfully weren’t that upset about it.”

The brunette’s heart cracked a little more. “Oh, Emma,”

“No.” Emma interrupted. “Don’t do that. Don’t pity me, I hate that. If I wanted pity I wouldn’t have covered them.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “I don’t pity you, and don’t interrupt me.” Regina sighed and forced herself to calm. “I don’t pity you, I _hurt_ for you. I’m sorry for your pain but I’m very proud that you survived everything that you went through.”

“Cigarette burns.”

“What?” Regina glanced down when Emma gestured with her chin; her fingers had been lightly stroking each bat in the batcave picture.

“Those ones I know. They’re cigarette burns.”

_She had cigarettes put out on her?_ The sick feeling in Regina’s stomach was back and now it mixed with something else; fury. “How were these people not in jail?”

To her surprise Emma laughed. “She was a cop. Our mom the police officer. Most of these are her doing.” Regina moved her hand to the pride flag when Emma’s own eyes locked on it. The destroyed flesh under her fingers nearly brought tears to her eyes. “I had been caught with a girl and she didn’t approve. She was very oldschool that way. She…put my hand in a drawer. And made me stand there and keep my hand inside when she started the slam the drawer closed.” Emma actually shrugged. “The first few weren’t that bad, honestly. But then…my skin started to get raw…and then it started tearing away… Each hit was agony after that.”

_That woman is very lucky she is already dead I swear to God._

“I’m glad you survived.” Regina whispered. “I’m glad you made it through, and saved Spencer, and made it eventually to Storybrooke. To me.”

Emma was hesitant when she leaned forward and Regina, hand still on her arm, pulled her forward gently so they could share a chaste kiss. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it-”

“No.” Regina cut her off with another quick kiss and she stroked her thumb along scarred skin soothingly. “You didn’t have to, nor were you required too. I’m just glad I know now.” 

_And God knows that I haven’t told you anything about my childhood._

**

Spencer felt like a parent waiting up to see if her child would make it home within the curfew or not. She was seated at the table, quietly, just wasting time on her phone and waiting for Emma. Everything that had happened tonight was rolling through her mind and she was actually starting to get a headache behind her eyes. 

_How could Emma not tell me that there had been a break in the case? She knew I was worried about the break-in. She knew exactly what we were thinking. Why wouldn’t she have told me that that wasn’t the case? Apparently there’s more going on in this town than Emma is willing to tell me about. Does she think I’m a child? Does she not trust me anymore?_

Spencer tried to banish those thoughts because she didn’t want to doubt Emma. She didn’t want to lose faith in her saviour. 

_And be fair, Swan, you’re not the only one keeping secrets anymore._ Spencer had placated Ashley earlier when she asked but truthfully, Spencer feared Emma finding out that Ashley knew essentially their entire history. Emma had drilled it into her since she was basically a toddler that they survived by keeping secrets. They survived by no one looking too closely behind the curtain. 

Only Ashley had looked. Ashley had put pieces together and had seen something that they had been trying to hide from her. _And if the way she originally acted is any indication, probably for good reason._ Spencer found herself smiling the more she thought about Ashley after her initial reaction. _She’s on my side for real now. She knows the secrets and she stayed, she swore not to tell and she never judged._

Spencer heard the front door and she schooled her features as she called out to her sister. “Hey Ems.” 

“Hey kiddo.”

The younger blonde looked up a little sharper at Emma’s subdued voice. “Everything okay?” _Oh God, what’s happened now? She can’t know anything, can she?_

“I uh, had a weird night with Regina.” Emma admitted as she slipped out of her leather jacket and headed for the kitchen. 

“Weird how?” Spencer found her original plan of demanding immediate answers from her sister derailed at the forlorn and dull look in her eyes. 

“Well everything was great, and then everything was really great and we were making out on her couch,”

“Okay that’s enough of that.” Spencer scrunched up her face. _I mean objectively she’s a really hot older lady but she’s basically Ashley’s mother and dating Emma and just, no, too weird._

Emma actually managed to crack a smile at the look on Spencer’s face. The elder blonde’s sleeves were pushed up and she walked over and rubbed her forearm along Spencer’s bare arm; it took the younger blonde a moment to get it. “Oh,” she drew the word out, “shit. Oh I’m sorry Emma.”

Spencer was long used to the scars on Emma’s body; she was one of the only few people who had seen Emma before she had used ink to cover up the damage that had been wrought against her. She had cried for days, both in relief and in sorrow, when Emma had covered up the bad burn scar that plagued her shoulder and upper arm. 

“It’s fine.” Emma clenched her teeth.

“How did Regina react?” Spencer tried not to picture the mayor running her hands all over her sister but she could gather that’s what happened. 

Emma lifted a hand and waved it back and forth in a “so so” gesture. “Badly at first. Jumped, pulled away from me, flinched, couldn’t stop staring and wouldn’t listen to me, the whole nine yards.”

“Ouch.” Spencer gave a sympathetic smile.

“But, she…didn’t let me run.”

_Wow. Well that’s definitely a first. “Really?”_

“Yeah. She got me to stay. Convinced me she had just been surprised. Got me talking about it a little bit.”

_Wait. Hold the fucking phone. If Emma told Regina about their pasts then that means she can’t get mad at me for telling Ashley!_ Spencer tried to contain her sudden excitement. “Oh, so you told her everything, like the basics?”

Emma snorted. “Please, Spence, be real. I told her I’d been abused, I had to. It was the only explanation that would make any sense at all. But that’s it, that’s all I told her. I said we had been relieved when our parents died in the fire and that I got the burn saving you from it but nothing else.”

Spencer felt herself deflate internally. _Fuck, so much for that._ “Oh, well,”

“I didn’t really want to tell her anything at all.” Emma continued. “But, it had to happen. I just wanted you to be aware so we’re on the same page.”

“Are we?” Spencer barely realized she’d spoken out loud until Emma turned. 

“What?”

_Okay Spencer, you can do this. Don’t back out now._ “Are we on the same page?”

Emma paused and leveled Spencer with a look. “I don’t know, are we?”

_Wait, what is she talking about? She can’t know anything, can she?_ “I was with Aiden tonight getting dinner at Granny’s. And we ran into an old basketball buddy of his.” Spencer decided to just launch into the story. 

“Okay.” The elder blonde nodded to show she was listening.

“The guy, Mark Planter? He said some stuff.”

Emma had arched an eyebrow at the name. “Planter? Let me guess, about Spunk?”

“How could you not tell me you had caught the guy that broke into our house, Emma!” Spencer’s emotions had been all over the place since Ashley’s ambush earlier and she found herself yelling. Predictably, Emma took it calmly and in stride. 

“Because I don’t believe that I did.”

She waited, showing her infinite patience, and forced Spencer into asking. “What?”

“Calvin Spunketti is admittedly in some trouble. A simple drug charge, possibly some drug dealing, but I think Sheriff Humbert is jumping all over him for convenience sake.”

Spencer sighed deeply. _Fuck._ “If you’re unsure,” _please don’t freak out,_ “I could testify. I saw Spunk dealing drugs at the party I went to and Aiden confirmed he was the dealer.” _Do I mention that Ashley apparently has some weird power over him?_

“No.” Emma said quickly. “I don’t need that, I caught him with drugs myself so I know he does. I just think he’s in trouble himself. And I really don’t believe that he broke into the house, kiddo. If I thought there was even a chance I’d have told you.” 

“Right.” 

“Something you want to tell me?”

Spencer forced herself casual. “No, nothing. I was just bothered about Spunk, thinking you’d arrested the guy who broke in and didn’t tell me, but I’m good now.” _Please don’t be using your superpower on me._

“Okay. Well, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Kay.” 

“Out of curiosity, what all did Planter say?”

“Nothing much. Just that you had come and checked out his house and then arrested Spunk. That Graham had told him he was being arrested for drug dealing and the break in.”

“Graham said?” Emma asked and Spencer eyed her curiously.

“Yeah, I think so.” Spencer tried to think back but all she could really remember was thinking about Emma and Spunk and Ashley. 

“Okay. I assume it goes without saying that I want you to stay away from the Spunk situation?”

“And the arson situation and Ashley, got it.” Spencer couldn’t help the bitterness that leaked into her voice and she knew Emma had noticed. 

“Kiddo.” The elder blonde came over and gripped Spencer’s forearm. “I’m between a rock and hard place here, okay? Don’t kick me while I’m down.”

“Sorry.” Spencer genuinely did feel bad for doubting Emma and thinking that way about her. “I understand, it’s all good, Ems.”

_And maybe I’m feeling a little guilty about keeping secrets from you again when the last time almost cost you your life._

**

Ashley was decidedly having a staring contest with a blank piece of paper; and losing. She was breathing deeply and trying to stave off the panic she could feel growing. _Relax, Davies. Just breathe and calm down. You’re psyching yourself out, that’s all it is._

A slight tremor developed in her hands, one wrapped around a pencil and one fiddling with her phone, and Ashley shook them both out violently. _Enough of that. I don’t need a drink, I’m not panicking, I’m just going to take a breath and write something._

The paper remained blank and the shaking in Ashley’s hands intensified. 

_What the fuck, Davies? This is what you’re actually good at, c’mon._ She shook herself out again, stretched her body where she was laying on her stomach in bed, and placed the pencil again on the paper. 

She didn’t write anything.

A small tendril of fear worked its way into her body. Ashley hadn’t written any new song lyrics in days and she was getting passed the point of worried. At first she hadn’t noticed so much with everything going on but when she did eventually think of it, now it was all she could think about. 

_What the fuck happened? It’s okay Davies, you haven’t lost your talent. Music is your heart and soul. You’re just having a bit of a, I don’t know, dry spell?_ The expression made Ashley roll her eyes. If her music was a little dry, it could join the other two dry spells she was currently having. 

_No music, no booze and no sex._ Ashley flopped down and pressed her face into the pillow. _What is the point of even continuing on?_ She wasn’t sure how long she stayed pressed into the pillow, bemoaning her life, but her phone’s sudden and continuous vibrate in her hand finally drew her attention. 

She smirked at the contact heading of “Bitch” that was calling her. She slid her thumb across the still broken screen and hit the speaker button so she could toss it down. “Madison.”

“ _Chica_. What the hell, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for an hour. I almost broke and dialed the mansion.”

“My phone is still on the fritz a little bit.” She glanced at the cracked and nearly broken device. “Or a lot. It’s finicky. I’m working on it.”

“Well, work faster bitch. We’ve got problems.”

“What now?” Ashley could barely muster up the energy to care. The words _no music, no booze and no sex_ just kept flashing through her mind. _I doubt Madison can say anything that would actually spark me awake._

“Spunk went down, Ash. Already arrested and everything.”

_Except that._ Ashley perked her head up. She didn’t think Regina would spy on her, _anymore_ , but she still took the phone off speaker and held the device to her ear. “What?”

“I said,”

“I fucking heard you.” Ashley snapped. _This is not the sort of problem that I need right now. Fuck!_ “What do we know?”

“I’m not sure.” Madison sighed. “You know how it goes. That he was arrested is fact. Pretty sure drug related, but people are even talking about break-ins and that Spunk is the fucking arsonist.”

Ashley’s head spun and she forced herself off her stomach into a sitting position. “What kind of drugs Madison? Dudes a pothead, we talking possession or..?”

“I don’t know. Rumours are flying now and nobody knows what to think. Spunk is sitting in holding though, apparently the Sheriff and Spencer’s sister snagged him from work.”

The brunette grit her teeth. “Why the fuck am I just hearing about this now?”

Madison scoffed. “You stepped down off your throne, Ashley, or don’t you remember? So step down off the high fucking horse as well, _chica_.” 

“I took a fucking break from being queen bee and apparently everything goes to shit? What the fuck happened?”

“I don’t know, Ashley.” Madison repeated. “I haven’t been partying either because I’ve been trying to get two routines down for the talent show.”

“Great. So we left the lemmings alone and Spunk gets arrested?” 

“Maybe it was Spunk’s fault?”

Ashley wanted to snap but she could hear the genuine stress in Madison’s voice and decided to let it go. “Okay. Tell me what you do know. Why are you so sure this is fact?”

“I heard it from Aiden who heard it from Mark Planter who is Spunk’s roommate and was there when the Sheriff came to the house and searched it. Mark was saying,”

Ashley tuned out the rest of Madison’s spiel as she tried to figure out what all that meant. _Aiden knew? Why didn’t Aiden call and tell me? He knows we could be on the hook for this, what was he thinking? He should have fucking been over here the second he knew! And Mark Planter, hmm?_ It had been a couple of years since Mark had partied with them or the team but Ashley still knew him from back then. _Might be best to put a call into him and get the whole story because apparently I can’t fucking trust Aiden to do it._

“Ashley are you listening to me?”

“Yes.” Ashley lied. “What’s happening right now?”

“I think most of us are converging on the hangout. Everybody is freaking the fuck out, Ash.” Madison lowered her voice. “You know practically every single one of us has bought at least something off of him at our parties.”

“I know. It’ll be fine.” Ashley said automatically. _Fuck this is so bad. Oh god what if Spunk has already talked?_ The brunette went a little pale. _What if he already talked to Emma?_ Ashley couldn’t help the turn her thoughts took. _Well at least Emma has killed people so she can’t really judge me too harshly for letting a dealer hand out party favours can she?_

“Ashley!”

“What?” She snapped as she jumped.

“Seriously are you listening to me? I asked what the plan was?”

The fact that Madison even had to ask showed how much things had really changed. A few weeks ago Ashley would have already been out of the house. Hell, she wouldn’t have been in the house at all and she’d have been the first person to know. _No kidding things have changed, shit. No music, no booze, no sex._ “You know what?” Ashley spoke without thinking. “Just tell everyone to calm the fuck down and that I’m on my way.”

“Really?” Even Madison seemed surprised. 

“Yeah.” Ashley got off the bed and looked around her messy room like she could find the Ashley from three weeks ago and pull her on like an outfit. “I’ll figure this out, just, stall. Or whatever. I’ll be there soon.” Ashley hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed. She glanced at herself in the mirror and saw she was wearing baggy sweatpants and a hoody for Storybrooke athletics. 

_Oh hell no._

She quickly decided she probably had time for a shower while Madison corralled their classmates. 

_If I’m showing up as old Ashley Davies to get shit done I’m at least going to do it right._

She stripped off her clothes on the way to her bathroom and let them fall to ground behind her.

_“Hear me when I say I’m back in town,_  
_You don’t look too happy, is that a frown?_  
_Should I have knocked or announced my name_  
_Better step back y’all cause this is my damn game”_

An almost feral grin crossed Ashley’s features.

**

Emma hadn’t been this restless in years. 

She couldn’t keep still and she had been aimlessly pacing around the house which was extremely unlike her. She had gone to the spare bedroom and did an hour of martial arts forms and katas to try and tire herself out, and when that had failed she’d turned to meditation. It had taken less than ten minutes for her to accept that she simply couldn’t get into the right head space for it. 

Practically without thought she changed into jogging gear, scribbled a note for Spencer in case she came looking for her, and headed out of the house. She did her stretches in the driveway and then took off down the street at a quick clip. 

It was too late for anyone to really be out other than a few people walking their dogs or heading home after a long night. Emma waved to a few citizens but otherwise she was left alone as she jogged steadily down the street. 

_You should have been prepared for that to happen tonight, Swan. You should have seen what Regina was doing and stopped it before it got that far. But did you really want to?_ Emma picked up her pace a little and cut across a side street. _You hadn’t even really planned on telling her any of your secrets but this wasn’t so bad, was it? She didn’t react like most people when she hears about your sob story abused childhood and now that it’s over you can move forward with her._

Emma kept her breathing regulated automatically as she ran but she couldn’t ignore the lingering feeling of Regina’s fingertips trailing down her arms. She would be lying if she said that it hadn’t affected her. Emma had slept with other woman, always one night stands, but her scars were hardly ever factor. The blonde always made sure to be the slightly more aggressive in those encounters and, well, if a woman’s hands were pinned to the bed she wasn’t running her fingers down brutally scarred arms now she was?

_But Regina hadn’t balked._ Well, not after her initial surprise anyway. She wasn’t sure if she was more afraid that Regina would look at her with pity or disgust. Her scars also brought up a lot of issues for Emma and she didn’t want to lose a moment with Regina thinking about _them._

_The grip around Emma’s upper arm was sure to bruise and she bit back a cry as she was shoved forward and yanked back repeatedly by the much taller man herding her inside._

_“Bud?”_

_Emma heard the voice and her throat instantly went dry. She thought she’d have more time before she found out because she wasn’t supposed to be home. Emma glanced around the house and her only thought was for Spencer. She prayed none of the kids were home; if Spencer wasn’t here than she could handle this without worrying about her._

_“Brought this one home.” The man holding Emma’s arm snarled and he pushed her forward; this time he let go of her arm and Emma fell to her knees. Emma heard the deep sigh Kara exhaled._

_“What’s she done now?”_

_“I caught her at the boardwalk, practically fornicating in public like some bitch in heat.” He sneered. Emma whirled around from her position on the ground and glared at the bald headed man wearing a police uniform._

_“That isn’t what happened!” Emma was unprepared for Kara’s backhand and it caught her soundly in the mouth. Emma’s heard snapped to the side and her lip split from the force._

_“Don’t talk back to him.” Kara snapped._

_“That’s not all.” Bud continued to glare down at Emma. “She was making a show of herself with some girl.”_

_“Is that so?” Kara now turned a deadly glare onto Emma. “You were making a fool out of yourself acting like a slut with some deviant girl?”_

_Emma had been asked many rhetorical questions from Kara in her life and she knew that she wasn’t supposed to answer. She licked her lip carefully and swallowed; it tasted like copper._

_“Thanks for bringing her here, Bud. I owe you.”_

_“No problem, Kar.” Bud ran his hand over his shaved head lightly. “I knew you’d want to deal with her. I’ll see you for shift later?”_

_“Of course.”_

_Emma heard Kara partner take his leave and Emma winced when Kara reached down and grabbed her by the same arm Bud had just bruised. “Come on, you.” Kara started dragging Emma to her office. “Do you know what’s important to Deacon and I? Do you?”_

_Emma did know. Both of them had drilled the sentiment into Emma and their other foster kids repeatedly. “Your reputation.”_

_“Exactly.” Kara used Emma’s arm to force her to stand up straight and she moved her beside her office desk. “We are known as the wonderful, respected couple with good, selfless jobs who take in stray children just because we can.” Kara’s voice turned cold. “In no part of that do I want to be known as the mother with a sick, sexual deviant slut as her eldest. Do you understand me?”_

_Emma didn’t understand. Bud had been lying. They hadn’t really been doing anything. She and Becky were just holding hands as they walked. It had taken Emma at least three blocks to get the courage to reach for Becky’s hand and interlock their fingers together. She had been terrified that her hand would be sweaty by the time she actually managed it but Becky had smiled widely and blushed when she did._

_“Are you listening to me?”_

_“Yes.” Emma replied instantly; she knew that one wasn’t rhetorical._

_Kara scoffed. “I don’t think you were. Hand.” Emma grit her teeth but knew it would be much worse if she didn’t do it willingly. She was getting stronger and better at defending herself, she knew she had to be her best self for Spencer, but she was still no match for Kara. Emma tried not to shake as she held out her right hand for the woman. “Make a fist.” That order was easy to follow and Emma curled her fingers together tightly. Kara opened a drawer in her desk and made Emma put her fist near the bottom of the drawer. “You don’t ever embarrass me or Deacon ever again.” Kara warned and Emma only had time to shut her eyes before Kara slammed the drawer closed._

_The pain radiated up Emma’s arm and down to her clenched fingers and Emma breathed sharply but within a second she was mostly okay. Emma thought that it didn’t hurt so bad. Like getting whacked with a lacrosse stick in gym class. Stings for a second but not too bad. Emma was already feeling better when the drawer slammed shut again. This time Emma winced, for it slammed closed and hit the exact same spot, and she hadn’t been expecting it. There was less of a delay when the drawer slammed shut on her for a third and fourth time._

_Emma’s teeth were clenched tightly now and tears had welled in the corner of her eye. She tried to hold back a whimper at the fifth and sixth hits but her arm was in constant pain now and the area that was getting closed in the drawer felt like it was on fire._

_It was after the tenth and eleventh hits that Emma noticed the blood and a small whine escaped her lips. Kara’s look was deadpanned and Emma said nothing. She tried to move her arm slightly so the drawer would slam closed on a different spot around her wrist but the pain still made her legs almost buckle._

_Just let her get this all out, Swan. Just let her do this to you and she won’t touch Spencer later._

_The drawer slammed closed for a fifteenth and sixteenth time and her legs actually did give way. Her arm pulled free from the drawer and Kara let her slide to the ground. Emma eyed the mangled and torn flesh around her bruised and severely swollen arm._

_“Don’t embarrass me again. And especially don’t ever embarrass me in front of Bud again. I won’t tolerate it.” Kara said quite calmly. She eyed the arm that Emma carefully cradled to her chest. “Bandage that and you’re wearing long-sleeves for a month.”_

_Kara strode from the office and Emma only let her tears fall once she could no longer hear the woman’s footsteps._

_At least is wasn’t Spencer. Now Spence will be safe for the night. That makes it worth it._

Emma grit her teeth and blocked out that woman’s voice calling her a deviant. _Being insulted by a child abuser shouldn’t hold any weight in your thoughts, Swan._

The blonde was surprised by how far she’d run when she saw she was almost at the town line. She jogged right to the border and then turned around to head back home. She considered cutting through the dense forest on either side of her but it was late and even an experienced runner like her could twist an ankle in the dark easily. 

She finally smiled lightly though as the thought made her think of Ashley when they had met; the brunette girl running wildly through the woods as if she was being chased. 

_I know the feeling. Maybe telling Regina, and then you kiddo, could help you out during all this craziness. And I want to help Ash, that’s all I’ve ever wanted since I met her._

_But how do I help Ash and tell her some things when she can’t ever know the whole story because I need to keep Spencer safe? After all, doing anything is worth it to keep Spencer safe._

**

Regina felt like this day was never ending. 

She had already been stressed and pushed to her breaking point and she thought that meeting with Emma would be the stress reliever and the break that she needed; and it had been, up to a point. 

But now Regina’s mind was racing with other things as well. As much as she enjoyed the kiss, and Emma’s hands upon her and feeling Emma strong and safe underneath her, the moment was now shadowed by the memory of Emma’s arms beneath her fingers. 

Regina had been completely staggered by the sheer amount of scar tissue that she was feeling under her fingertips. She had not lied to Emma about anything she said. She was not repulsed, or pitying, or turned off by the scars hiding underneath Emma’s art; she was angry. 

In her mind Regina was always first and foremost a mother and that meant child abusers were some of the worst scum that she could encounter. She couldn’t help but picturing a young, little blonde girl with startling green eyes and a still innocent expression and her heart _hurt_ at the thought that the one who was supposed to protect and cherish and love that child had deemed it okay and acceptable to hurt her. 

Regina was more than angry. She was livid. She truly didn’t pity Emma because she was too busy being amazed and proud that she survived but that didn’t change her anger. The brunette had to physically try and stop her hands from shaking when she realized that Spencer lived in that house too. 

_Maybe that’s why Emma is so overprotective; because she is already used to protecting Spencer._

Imagining now two young blonde girls huddled together against parents that abused them made Regina want to rage at the universe for its unfairness and then possibly be ill a little bit. 

The brunette knew that she was protective, _possibly to the point of possessive_ , and nobody hurt the people she loved or cared about. And now as she remembered feeling the almost countless bumps and ridges and lines of Emma’s scars it burned her with the knowledge that she was far, far too many years late to do anything about it. 

Regina finally turned out the lights downstairs and had just reached for the railing with a bone-deep sort of exhaustion when a quick, quadruple knock on her front door made her freeze. If she was anyone else she might have ignored it. If she wasn’t the mayor, a mother, or a responsible adult she might have continued up the staircase where she wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed.

But Regina _was_ those things and it was with clenched teeth and a deadly expression that she turned and opened her front door. 

“Regina.”

The brunette almost snarled at the man on her front porch. “Mr. Glass.” Her voice was cold and the reporter didn’t seem to realize the danger he was facing. “What on earth made you think it was alright to come to my home this late at night?”

To his credit Sidney looked genuinely surprised. “But, Regina, I have the things you asked for.” He patted his messenger bag and looked around behind him carefully. 

Regina scoffed. “This isn’t a clandestine spy novel Mr. Glass. You came to my home now what exactly are you doing here and what did you bring me?”

“The information I had gathered.” He lowered his voice even more. “On the Swans? You said you wanted it.”

Regina’s heart sank. _Oh god I had forgotten after Emma’s visit tonight_. Regina somewhat cautiously moved aside and let Sidney enter her home. He made to take another step once she’d closed the front door and she held up a hand to forestall him. “Just give me the information you gathered.”

Sidney looked hurt and Regina though the pout he was giving her was childish and ridiculous. “You don’t want to go over it together?”

“You don’t think I’m capable of reading for myself?” Regina snapped. “Give it to me.”

The reporter reluctantly dug in his bag and pulled out a manila file folder; Regina could see by the thickness that there were many different documents contained within it. Sidney handed it over gently and Regina snatched it from his hand. “I hope I don’t need to remind you about gathering information without my express permission and say so, Mr. Glass.”

“No, no.” Sidney held up his hands in immediate and automatic submission. “I was just trying to help you, Regina.”

“It’s Mayor Mills.” Regina scowled. “Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s late and you shouldn’t be here.” Regina opened the door and arched an eyebrow.

Sidney tried once more to give her a pitiful look. “I was just trying to help.”

“You weren’t. Have a good night, Mr. Glass.” Regina knew that though the words themselves were polite Sidney could clearly hear the threat in them as he backed away out the door. 

“Just, read what I gave you. And when,” he gulped slightly, “if you’d like me to continue my investigation you just need to call.”

Regina didn’t answer and just shut the door in his face. She let her face fall once he could no longer see her. _Whatever am I going to do with this?_ She absently walked back into her study an even glancing at the couch where she and Emma had been felt like a betrayal when holding a file on the Swan girls’ past. 

The brunette sat down at her desk with half her usual grace and a headache starting to pound at her temples and behind her eyes. _What are you doing, Regina? This is ridiculous. Do not open this. Do not even go there. You like Emma. You trust Emma. You trust Emma with Ashley. With your kids._

It was that thought that made Regina flip the file open. 

The first page was a photograph of the Swans that had clearly been found in a newspaper article and then printed off a computer. While Regina didn’t claim to know exactly what the photo was of even the brunette could recognize the distinctive white outfits and orange belts wrapped around the waists of four children. Two boys and two girls, all appearing about 10 years old, were smiling widely and posing for the camera. Spencer was easy to spot with her blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Each child had a parent, _or guardian_ , standing behind them and smiling proudly. Emma was just as easy to identify and Regina couldn’t help but trail a finger over the picture. Regina read the short article, claiming the four kids the winners of a martial arts tournament for their respective classes, and even Regina felt pride. _What did Sidney think he was showing me exactly?_ Regina remembered all too well hearing the story about the ease with which Spencer had taken down Peter Gold when he’d laid hands on her. _Am I supposed to be surprised she’s had training since she was a child? Not exactly the sport I’d encourage for Henry but not worthy of investigation._

Regina flipped the page to the next one and had only read the heading when she slammed her eyes shut. It was a medical record from St. Lukes Florence Hospital and Regina had no desire to see Emma’s old medical records. 

_Oh my god Emma’s medical records._ Regina would never be able to forget the feeling of Emma’s skin, hurt and brutalized, underneath her fingertips. _Of course Emma would have been forced to go to hospital for some of those wounds. So this is what Sidney found, Emma’s history of abuse. That must be it._

Regina closed the folder with an abrupt slap. _No. I don’t need to read this. Emma opened up to me and I trust her to continue to do so._ Regina scowled at the thick folder. _I wonder what that woman said to hospital admittance when she kept showing up with her foster daughter hurt and injured?_ The brunette suddenly rolled her eyes and scoffed at herself. _Of course she could get away with it; the woman was a cop._ Now Regina let out a small gasp. _And no wonder Emma and Spencer both have a serious dislike for police officers, they grew up with one who was abusive. That makes perfect sense and you almost let your doubts get in the way of this._

The drawer in her desk was slung open and Regina resolutely dropped the file into it on top of another stack of papers. _No more looking at that. From now on I’m going to trust Emma, and she’ll open up to me when she can._

Without a final glance at the drawer where the file now hid Regina left her study and had thoughts only of finally relaxing. 

**

Ashley took one extra second to breathe and make sure she was still feeling like the old Ashley Davies before she ducked down the alley that led to the hangout. 

She could already hear them, even though it was late, and she knew the hangout would be packed. She ducked under the boards and it took a few moments for people to realize that she was strutting to the centre of the square. 

_Show no weakness. Don’t hesitate. Take control of this quickly._ “Alright, enough.” Ashley snapped and projected her voice loudly over the assembled crowd and she jumped up onto a coffee table to give her some height. She noticed Aiden, standing with the other basketball players, whip his head around at her voice. _Surprised to see me Aid? Maybe that’s because you didn’t tell me._ The tall athlete clapped his friends on the back and then quickly made his way over to her. “Everyone calm the fuck down.”

“Calm down?” Ashley grit her teeth at the shrill voice of one of Madison’s cheerleaders. “How can we be calm right now? We’ve all bought drugs off that loser you supplied us, what if he talks?”

Another cheerleader stepped up beside her. “Do you even know what my mom would do if she found out I’ve been doing drugs?”

_Assuredly nothing less than what Regina would do if my name gets attached to this scandal. Huh, I might actually have some familiar company in rehab if that’s the case._

“No one parents are finding out anything.”

“How do you know that?” 

“You’re the one who told us that Spunk would never get arrested either!”

“We’ll say he’s lying-”

“We’ll deny everything-”

“We’ll-”

“Enough.” Ashley snapped again. “Get a hold of yourselves, Jesus fuck. I wish Spunk was here cause then we could get some weed into you paranoid fucks and maybe then we could deal with this situation.” Ashley got a few giggles out of the crowd and she took that as a win. “Now the way I understand it is that no one is really sure what Spunk went down for officially. Let’s be real, the boy smoked more pot than the rest of Storybrooke combined so it could just be for possession charges. If it is then no trouble and none of the adults have to hear anything.”

“What if it was for dealing?” One of the basketball players looked a little green he was so nervous. “What if they do know he sold drugs and know who they sold them to?”

“They don’t.” Ashley prayed she was right as she looked confidently out at the crowd. “If they knew anything then Aiden and I would be the first people they’d pick up and we haven’t heard shit.” She glanced over at Aiden and he gave her a nod confirming her words. “It’s true they might be on a fishing expedition and if that’s the case, let’s make sure there’s nothing to find.” Ashley stood as tall as her stature would allow. “Get rid of everything, people. Have no paraphernalia on you at all. If even a whisper of drugs being dealt to the high school kids get out I know half of the parents in town are going to start searching rooms and other bullshit. So make sure there’s nothing for them to find.” Ashley watched the crowd nod along with her for a moment. “And let’s take a second to get our stories straight. If asked about Spunk there’s no point in denying you’ve never met him. He comes to hang out at the court occasionally and you’ve seen him smoke some weed but that’s it.”

“What if he’s got a list of everyone he sells to?” The question was shouted over the crowd and Ashley tried not to noticeably grit her teeth. _Please tell me Spunk was not stupid enough to write down the names of everyone he sold to. Please tell me that Spunk does not have an actual client list. That could ruin fucking everything._

“I don’t believe that, hey-” Ashley could see she was losing the masses to their nerves and fear once again. _C’mon, do something, Davies. What would the old Ashley Davies do?_ “Calm the fuck down!” Ashley shouted again. “I’m going to take care of this, okay?”

“How?”

“You haven’t even been around!”

“No, I haven’t.” Ashley admitted. “Instead I’ve been getting an in. If you haven’t noticed Emma Swan, Spencer’s sister, is now the deputy and the one that arrested and is holding Spunk. And if you also haven’t noticed,” Ashley faked a lecherous grin, “I’m pretty close with both the Swans.” That got her a few more laughs. “I’ll find out what the police department knows, what they’re fishing for, and whether Spunk left anything that points back at all of us. Okay?” A few people catcalled and clapped and Ashley tried not to show that she actually felt a little bit sick. “Good. Now I know everyone wants to get out of here and purge their rooms but don’t everyone bail out at once.”

Aiden was waiting with an outstretched hand and Ashley accepted it so she didn’t slip jumping off the table. Once she had her feet safely back on the ground she withdrew her hand and then slapped Aiden in the stomach. He wasn’t hurt but he hadn’t been expecting it and the air escaped his lungs in a whoosh. 

“What the hell, Ash?” Aiden rubbed his stomach a little and pouted.

“What the hell to you Aiden?” Ashley hissed but kept her voice low. “Something happens with Spunk and you don’t even tell me?”

Aiden opened and closed his mouth several times. “I didn’t think you’d want to be involved.” He eventually sputtered. “You haven’t been involved with any of this lately.”

Ashley scoffed. “You know my name is all over this. You should have called me.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” Aiden did sound genuine and Ashley reached out to slap him in the stomach again, although this time much softer.

“Can you do it, Ash?” Madison appeared and asked without preamble. “Use Spencer or Emma to get us information?”

_Probably not. Hopefully I won’t have to even try._ “Maybe.” Ashley hedged. “It’s a tricky situation that’s for sure.” _Way more complicated than anybody probably realizes._

“What’s so tricky about it?” 

Ashley turned to scowl at the interruption of Peter Gold. “Excuse me?”

“What’s so tricky about using the girl you’re banging to see if we’re all going down for drug possession?”

“You better back the fuck off, Peter Pan.” Ashley snarled. She didn’t miss the way Gold’s eyes flicked to both Aiden and Madison. _Just try me. Say one more word about Spencer you piece of shit._

Peter raised his hands in a mocking defensive gesture. “Hey I’m all for it, anything that helps us, right? I mean we’d be totally fucked. None of the cheerleaders or the dancers would be allowed to participate, practically the entire basketball team would be suspended. Hopefully your little fire-starter girlfriend has enough school spirit to help us out.”

Ashley didn’t even register stepping forward until Aiden had grabbed both her arms. “What the fuck did you just say?” _Oh my god, no. People cannot start talking about Spencer being the pyro again, no._

Gold actually dared to chuckle. “Once again I’m just saying what everyone is thinking. I told everyone that Swan was skulking around the scene of the first fire, and now people are positive they saw her around Tony’s before it burned down.”

_No! No, that didn’t happen. She was nowhere near that fire! Fuck!_ “Shut your fucking mouth, Peter Pan, or I’ll do it for you.”

“Typical Davies, always so tough with your friend behind you.” He sneered. Ashley glanced around and noticed they were again gathering a crowd who were expecting another fight. _No, break this up, Davies. Don’t let any more people start talking about Spencer._

“Get the fuck out of here, Gold. Now.” Ashley’s voice was deadly. Aiden must have felt her trembling because he released one of her arms to step even closer to his teammate. 

“You heard her.”

Gold laughed again. “Relax, Dennison, I’m just playing.” Ashley noticed he did start backing away though. “I just wanted to ask Ashley how it felt to fuck a pyro? Goes without saying that it must be hot, right?”

“He’s not worth it.” Aiden muttered to a shaking Ashley. 

“And he’s not even funny.” Madison scoffed. 

“You’re right.” Ashley didn’t take her eyes off his retreating back. “Nothing about that was funny.” 

“All kidding aside though,” Madison sounded serious again, “you can do it, right? Find out what the Sheriff and Emma knows? And whether Spunk has a client list?”

“I guess we’ll see.” Ashley muttered. _Besides, things couldn’t get much worse, could they?_

**

Emma was just stepping out of the shower after her run when her phone beeped with a text message. She grabbed it eagerly, lying to herself about not hoping it was from Regina, and her face fell when she saw it was from Graham instead. 

[Got the first of the cellphone footage from the night of the fire. Its in your inbox.]

_That your way of telling me to get started working on it, Humbert?_ She still felt restless even after her shower so she didn’t actually mind the idea of getting some work done. She got into lounge pants and a tank top and settled in at the coffee table. She went through her inbox first to make sure she didn’t have a new job from August, because after doing all this police work she was starting to miss the freedom of bounty hunting, but the only email she had was the one from Graham. 

She downloaded all the files and she grimaced a little when she saw there was already 35 files. _Okay Swan, you’re going to need some sort of plan._ “Hey, Spence?”

Her sister poked her head out from her bedroom and walked over when Emma gestured. “What’s up?”

“When a movie is being made, say after its filmed, how do the production people go through that amount of footage from different angles and check for continuity errors?”

Spencer looked puzzled but she answered her sister anyway. “Document cache and a file chart.” She plunked down on the couch beside Emma and glanced at the screen. “You suddenly making a movie, Ems?”

“I wish.” Emma pointed out all the files. “Graham and I have got warrants for all the cell phone footage that was shot the night of the Tony’s fire. I wasn’t sure how to begin even sorting through it all.”

The younger blonde hummed. “I think you have the right idea. So what you do is make like a huge chart. Along the top you have the times of events and down the other axis you have all the different characters.”

“I got it. Then you watch the video and focus on one person and jot down exactly what they were doing at that moment.”

“Exactly. By the time you’re done and the chart is complete from every angle and all the footage, hopefully something will stand out to you.”

Emma sighed. “This is going to take forever.”

“Yup.” Spencer clapped her sister on the folder. “Have fun with that shit.” Emma took a playful swipe at the back of Spencer’s head but her sister was too quick and danced away off the couch. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Emma muttered. “Well, Swan. Procrastinating never solved anything.” 

It took the deputy almost a half an hour to get ready before she even started watching the videos. They had no chart paper so Emma carefully taped together and constructed multiple pieces of paper until it took up the entire surface of the coffee table. She carefully divided the top of her chart into five minute blocks starting from the moment Dr. Hopper first noticed the fire until the moment fire crews finally left and the scene was cleared and empty. She added Dr. Hopper as the first name on what she knew would grow to be a list of likely a hundred Storybrooke citizens. 

_This is definitely going to take forever._

The files on the computer were in the order that Graham had loaded them into the email and the order they had been downloaded by and not in chronological order. _Of course not. Why would things be easy ever?_

Clicking on the first video brought up a shaky image of a fire that was already raging and a crowd already formed. Emma settled back and watched the five minute long video twice through, once with sound and once without, to see if anything in particular jumped out at her. When nothing did she cued the video from the beginning again and this time paused it after only one second. 

_Well, might as well start with the people I know and recognize._ Underneath Dr. Hopper’s name Emma added Ruby Lucas and Granny. The person who shot the video was standing behind the two women and they had been in the shot for most of the video. They, like practically everyone else, were standing stupefied as they watched the restaurant burn down. 

Emma checked the time stamp on the video and underneath the block of 10:35 for both woman she added “watching the fire”. She continued to play the video but this time she watched only the two women instead of the rest of the video. They barely moved at all over the course of a couple minutes. They leaned towards each other to speak a few times and Ruby covered her mouth, it was hard to tell from behind but Emma thought she might be crying, but they didn’t move from their spots. The camera angle changed a few times, as the person taking it turned around to get the crowd on film but when they returned to shooting the fire neither Ruby nor Granny had moved. 

With one minute left of the video Emma paused the screen as another brunette stepped up beside Ruby. She watched the two woman embrace tightly, and for a long time, before finally pulling slightly away from each other. Underneath Granny’s name on the chart Emma added Dorothy Gale. Dorothy kept her arm tightly around Ruby for the rest of the video and they watched the restaurant burn down together until the person shooting the footage finally clicked their camera off. 

Emma couldn’t help but sighing. _This is going to take longer than forever._

The blonde got into a zone and a rhythm and over a half an hour later she was still working through the very first video. Because the cameraperson turned around and panned the crowd she had dozens of names to add onto the chart just to verify that they had been there at 10:37 at night. Some of the people she didn’t know the names of so she wrote detailed descriptions of them instead so that she would recognize them on later videos. 

Emma heard, somewhere in the back of her mind, Spencer head into the kitchen and get a drink at one point but she was glad her sister knew not to interrupt her for no reason when she’d finally started making progress. 

After what felt like her fiftieth run-through of the same video Emma finally decided that she could gleam no more new information from it. It was with a deep sigh and a long stretch that cracked her neck and her back she clicked over to the second video. 

She could see instantly that it was a completely different angle, taken from someone standing on the other side of the crowd than the first, and checking the time stamp let her know that it was almost an hour and a half later. 

Emma began the painstaking process again with an even longer video. She picked one citizen and tracked their movements through the entire clip and marked it down on her chart. Several of the people were the same as the first video and she was able to continue their movements, albeit with an unaccounted for gap in the timeline. 

Two hours later and Emma’s eyes were burning and she had the beginnings of a headache at the base of her skull. She stretched out her lithe frame once more and cracked what felt like every bone in her body. _Just one more video. Just one more while you’re on a roll._ It had been quite a while since she had added any new person to the chart, as she seemed to have already seen everyone who made an appearance in the crowd, and it was now just filling in gaps in the timeline. 

The blonde pulled the laptop closer and was watching to see at what moment Michael Tillman finally left the scene when a figure in the background over Tillman’s shoulder became visible for a moment; Emma would recognize that dyed blonde hair in need of a touch-up anywhere. “Spunk.” Emma hit the spacebar to pause the video and the screen froze with Spunk skulking in the background. _So you were there. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you. You’d be less obvious if you just stepped out of the shadows and watched the building burn down with everyone else, kid._ Emma let the video play again, Tillman forgotten, and she watched Spunk at the edge of the screen. _Wait, what did you just do?_ Emma backed up the video a few seconds and watched Spunk turn his head and nod slightly. _Someone else is creeping in that alley with you._ Emma watched Spunk turn and nod his head over a dozen times but it couldn’t change the fact that Emma couldn’t see from the angle of the camera who was there. 

Exhaustion and headache suddenly forgotten Emma quickly started clicking her way through the rest of the videos trying to find one taken at roughly the same time but from a different angle. _C’mon, c’mon._ She almost hit the enter button too forcefully when she located one that might work. _C’mon, please can I just get some luck for a change._

Emma watched the video closely and willed the person filming it to swing the view just a bit more to the right. _You know you want to, c’mon._ Emma got her wish in the form of more firefighters arriving on scene and the person holding the phone turning to watch the action; Emma hit the spacebar with aggression. _C’mon._ Emma let the video creep forward second by second and only for about that length of time did the crowd part enough for Emma to see through the crowd and see who was standing beside Spunk. 

The figure had their back turned but Emma could distinguish their baggy black pants and black sweatshirt. _I would have noticed that stereotypical burglar outfit if I’d seen it already. C’mon, show me your face._

But with the limited angle and time Emma has on the video the person never turns. 

The only thing she could make out from behind was their long, curly, brunette hair. 

**

Spencer sat on her bed in her meditative state but she had her phone in hand and was smiling lightly as she text Ashley. [So you still haven’t done that interview with Emma yet?] She felt better that she at least breathed deeply and calmly while waiting for the phone to vibrate. 

[Shit, no. I really should do that. I’ll ask Emma on our run tomorrow.]

[Good plan. Hopefully she isn’t too tired for you, she’s still working on those fire videos.]

The delay is longer this time and Spencer actually gets into her mediation, slowing her heartrate and her breathing down, and almost forgets she is waiting for a response from the other girl. The vibrate, when it finally comes, causes her eyes to snap open.

[Would it be wildly inappropriate to ask if you’d, you know…like…to watch those videos. Like…like like?”] Spencer only had time for her jaw to drop and a bewildered laugh to escape her lips before another text came through. [Forget I asked that! No, way too off base. My bad completely.] The blonde was still a little disbelieving when her phone vibrated a third time. [Spence? Was that wildly offensive? I’m so sorry.]

Spencer finally managed to get her fingers working. [Did you just ask me if I could watch Tony’s burning down like porn?]

[No!!!!] The response was instantaneous, and followed by another seconds later. [Okay maybe a little bit. I’m sorry, I just feel too weird doing research now and I’m just trying to understand.] 

[That’s…sweet. In a way. A weird way.] Spencer was still somewhat laughing. [The answer is no, while some pyromaniac’s do derive sexual pleasure from the act of fire-starting I’m not one of them. It’s more of a serious impulse control problem.]

[So like a klepto but with fire?]

The blonde actually tilted her head to think about it. [Actually, yeah. You could definitely use that comparison. Kleptos physically can’t help their impulse to steal, and pyros can’t stop their impulse to start fires. For me, being so young, it had to do with power and control.] Spencer considered Emma out in the living room, now officially a deputy and with countless year’s experience bounty hunting, and what she would say about this conversation. _God you should tell her that Ashley knows. She probably knows that you’re lying and this is just going to make everything worse. You know what happened the last time you were keeping secrets. You gotta fess up, Swan. You gotta tell the truth._ Spencer had a flash of them leaving Storybrooke and Regina and Ashley standing on the townline watching them go. She clenched her teeth when she typed another message. [Ashley if we’re going to keep this a secret…we should probably be careful…]

[Already have plans to delete all these text messages once we’re done talking, Spence. I told you, I got your back now, okay? I won’t be the reason that you get caught.]

It took more effort than it usually would for Spencer to stop her eyes from welling up with tears. [I know, Ash. I’ll always have your back too, alright?]

[Duh. Alcoholics/firestarters with awful pasts gotta stick together.]

[Duh, of course.] Spencer couldn’t believe that she had actually found someone like Ashley. [You’re distracting by the way, I was about to start my yoga.]

She knew the response was coming and she didn’t even bother to get off the bed yet. 

[Yoga? Oh my god, Spence. You already put the rest of us to shame, would you stop acting like a cyborg and more like an actual human teenager?]

[Where would be the fun in that?] Spencer actually stood to begin stretching her body out gently.

[Actually…while we’re sort of vaguely okay not really at all on the subject…]

Spencer laughed and sent a text message while bent nearly doubt and the backs of her hands rested on the floor. [Just spit it out Ash.]

[I’m trying to do what I can but people at school are still talking about you and gossiping that you’re the pyro…]

The blonde swallowed thickly. [Ashley. If the rumours get super bad and reach Emma…]

[They won’t. We’ll figure something out okay? We won’t let Emma even think about moving.]

Spencer could do nothing but decide to trust her. [Okay, Ash. I believe you.] She tossed the phone down onto the bed and tried to begin her yoga in earnest. She was only on her third pose when it happened. 

The crash was sudden and deafening; Spencer’s body reacted instinctively and she threw herself to the side and landed harshly on the floor behind her bed. Her arms covered her head and she drew her legs up to her body as glass rained down from the shattered window. 

Spencer was breathing harshly, which sounded loud in the sudden stillness, and she had just considered peeking her head up when her bedroom door slammed open with another brutal crash and Emma entered with gun drawn. “Broken window.” Spencer relayed the information without stopping to think for even a second. “Likely projectile, seems like only one.”

Emma’s face was made of stone and only her eyes showed how wild and deadly she currently was. Spencer got to her knees gingerly and glanced at the window, completely and utterly broken and now spread across her floor, and then glanced down at what had Emma’s attention. 

It was a brick. It had been hastily wrapped in paper and taped in place; in black marker the words “fire-starter” were clearly visible. 

Spencer felt her heart stutter to a stop at the same second Emma whirled on her heel and raced from the bedroom and, presumably, the house. It had seemed like ages that Spencer had stared at the broken window and the brick that had been thrown through it but in reality it had been less than a minute. She wasn’t sure if she wanted Emma to catch up to the assailants or not.

On shaky legs Spencer slid back to the ground and didn’t spare a glance for the broken glass that littered her floor. 

With one broken window Spencer felt her entire world come crumbling down.


	16. Surviving Change

Before Emma even took a moment to register, breathe or consider her actions she was two streets over wearing sweatpants, a tank top and no shoes holding her gun in a calm grip that didn’t match the churning in her stomach or the panic in her heart. 

She knew she would never, as long as she lived, ever be able to forget the sound of the window shattering in Spencer’s room and Emma knowing, within the span of a heartbeat, that she was too far away to do anything about it. 

She had grabbed for her gun and burst through the door of Spencer’s room and she was already, deep down, preparing herself for the worst. It could have been a bullet shattering the window. It could have been a Molotov cocktail or an incendiary device; it could have been anything and Spencer could have already been dead. Had that been the case Emma was already gearing herself to go on a rampage the likes of which Storybrooke had never seen. 

Seeing Spencer alive and fine should have come at extraordinary relief but the word “fire-starter” penned sloppily onto the brick that had just been hurled through Spencer’s bedroom window had tattooed itself onto Emma’s retinas. She was out of the house in a blink and running full tilt down the road with gun in hand. 

She had made a snap choice about which way to run and it seemed now that she’d chosen wrong or whoever had thrown the brick had evaded her. If they’d fled the second they’d thrown it they would have had almost a minute head start and would have been out of view when Emma charged down her driveway. 

The blonde was panting when she finally stopped and she knew it wasn’t from the one minute sprint. Fear and adrenalin had flooded her system and she was as wired as she’d ever been. She scanned the road one final time but accepted the fact that whoever had thrown the brick wouldn’t suddenly show themselves. They were either well-hidden or, if they knew what was good for them, still running.

Before anyone else could really take notice of their barefoot deputy carrying a gun down the street Emma jogged back to Monroe. She kept her pace slow and if she was telling the truth to herself she knew she was stalling; she already knew what was coming and she didn’t want to face it. 

Spencer was waiting for her in the open front door. Emma was belatedly glad that they hadn’t picked up their vase yet because she surely would have smashed it during her mad dash from the house. 

Emma steeled her expression, her nerves and her heart even though the latter was already breaking.

“Emma,”

“Start packing.” She gave her sister no time to talk. _We have to do this. It was foolish to stay and I let Spencer convince me for her happiness…her happiness and my own. But this is dangerous now and I will never risk Spencer’s life._

“Emma.”

The distress in the younger blonde’s voice nearly did Emma in. _Nearly_.

“Are you injured?” Emma took a moment to look Spencer over carefully. 

“I’m fine, I’m completely fine.” Spencer tried to plead. 

It was lost on Emma. _Good. Now we don’t have to stop at a hospital or a pharmacy._ “Spencer, start packing. We’re leaving tonight. We can be fifty miles away before anyone really notices.”

Emma was trying her best to only think of the plan. _We’ve got this down. We can have our wardrobes packed in ten minutes and Spencer can grab the last few things that are actually coming with us while I pack the car._ She clicked the safety on her gun and slid it into her pocket because her sweatpants weren’t tight enough to hold it against the small of her back. _Got the gun, we’ll get the I.D’s and we’ll leave nothing behind._ Emma started heading for her bedroom, thinking of nothing else except her clothes, but she noticed Spencer wasn’t moving. “Spencer, we’re on the clock, I’m not kidding.”

“No.”

_God, Spencer, please don’t. Please. Not now, not right now._ “Spencer. I’m sorry this has happened. I am. But it doesn’t change the fact that it did. Any deal we had is over. We’re leaving.” _Don’t you understand that I’m dying too?_

“No.” Spencer had tears streaming down her cheeks but her voice was firm. “I’m not leaving. I can’t.”

“Spencer.” Emma tried to keep her voice steady because she didn’t want to get angry and yell. “Kiddo, a brick just came flying through your window,”

“I know that,”

“So I think it’s safe to say that they’re starting a witch hunt.” Emma grit out. “You might not have set these fires but we have skeletons in our closet that cannot come out. Or have you forgotten that?”

Spencer jerked like she’d been slapped and Emma closed her eyes to gather herself. “I haven’t forgotten.” Spencer snapped. “But it was obviously just kids from my high school as a prank,”

“A prank?” Emma was now staring down her sister. “Are you kidding me Spencer? Flinging a brick through your bedroom window isn’t a prank, it’s a warning. What if next time it isn’t a brick, huh? What if it’s a bullet? You could have been killed, Spencer!”

“But I wasn’t!” 

“I will never take that chance!” Emma noticed she was breathing harshly again and tried to force herself to breathe deeply. “I’ll never gamble with your life Spencer. We’re leaving. End of story.” She turned her back and was half way down the hallway before Spencer spoke again.

“And what about Regina?” 

Emma froze. 

“You don’t care about breaking up Ashley and I, but what about Regina? Can you really just leave them both behind? You said you couldn’t do that, you told me so,”

“And then a brick came flying through your window! Things change Spencer! We have to adapt or we die. So yes,” Emma grit her teeth and tried not to feel anything, “I will leave Regina behind if it means keeping you safe. Now pack your things or I’ll throw them in a bag for you.” 

Spencer seemed to realize that Emma would not be swayed and instead of arguing she bolted for the front door; Emma let her go. She watched Spencer run from the house and she hardened herself further. 

_Let her go and say her goodbyes. It’ll be easier if she gets some closure. She can go say goodbye to Ashley, to…Regina…and then we’ll be leaving._

Emma didn’t even bother to walk over and shut the front door Spencer had left open. 

_She can have a goodbye but that’s it. I swore I would do absolutely anything in my power to protect that kid. I would give my life for her, I would kill for her…I already have killed for her. I would do anything…_

_I guess now that includes breaking my heart and making her hate me._

**

Spencer didn’t stop to think for even a second. 

She had run here completely without planning and now she practically collapsed against the front door as she pounded on it with a closed fist. She didn’t think about how late it was. She didn’t think about how crazy this was. She didn’t think about her life falling apart or the damage she had just done to her relationship with Emma. 

She couldn’t think about anything other than this. 

The blonde pounded against the door again, tears streaming down her face, and she almost missed it when the door swung open violently and a curse was flung her way before it was cut off with a gasp. Spencer was in the brunette’s arms immediately. She cried into her neck and hands instantly came to her back and to her hair as they pulled her inside. This brunette was the only person she’d wanted to see. 

“Shh, Spencer. I need you to breathe for me, okay? I need you to breathe and then tell me if you’re alright. Okay, dear? Just breathe.”

“Re-Re-Regina,” Spencer barely even noticed that her teeth were chattering and her whole body was practically shaking as she sobbed. 

“Okay, sweetheart. Come on, come with me.” Regina kept the blonde completely embraced in her arms as she led her out of the front hall and to her study. “Okay, sweetheart, just take a seat for a second. Oh my lord, you’re barefoot. Spencer did you run here?” Spencer took a seat on the couch and Regina crouched down in front of her to take both of her hands. “Listen to me Spencer. It’s going to be okay, but I need to know if you’re hurt or injured and if Emma is alright.”

Spencer let out a sob at Emma’s name and the blonde could see the instant panic that flashed across her features. “No,” Spencer managed to gasp, “we’re, we…we’re alright.” Spencer knew it was implied she meant that physically. 

“Okay, sweetheart.” Regina reached behind her and then wrapped the younger blonde in a large throw blanket; Spencer burrowed into the warmth. “I’ll be back in one second, okay? I’m just going to get a first aid kit.”

Spencer nodded numbly and Regina flit from the room quickly. _Emma is going to kill you for coming here…but it was the only option! Regina is the only person who can fix all of this, and I believe she cares about us enough to do it._

Regina was back surprisingly fast and carrying a small black bag. She sat down beside Spencer on the couch and the blonde leaned into her when Regina put an arm around her. “Okay, there you go sweetheart. Everything is going to be alright, you’ll see. Now Spencer I need you to tell me if you’re hurt anywhere other than your feet?”

“My feet?” _I’m not hurt, am I?_ Spencer gave the brunette a puzzled look and Regina looked even more concerned.

“It looks like you ran all the way here from your house in bare feet, dear. I’m just going to clean them and make sure you didn’t get any cuts.” Regina moved slightly farther away on the couch and patted her lap. Spencer was a little too in shock to get it and Regina had to reach down and gently take one of Spencer’s legs and bring it into her lap herself. “Just keep breathing for me sweetheart, nice and slow. That’s it.”

Somewhere in the back of Spencer’s mind she could feel the cool washcloth being run gently over the soles of her probably blackened feet. Regina’s touch was tender and soothing and Spencer noticed she was humming slightly under her breath. 

“Something happened tonight.” Spencer whispered. She could see that Regina’s jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed in concern but her hands, cradling her feet, remained steady and calm.

“Can you tell me, sweetheart?” Regina was now using a paper towel to dry the bottom of the foot she’d just cleaned. 

_This is your last chance Spencer. Make up something now and Emma might forgive you. Tell a lie and you might be able to salvage this._ Spencer took a deep breath. “The kids at school…they’ve been gossiping that I’m the one who’s been lighting the fires around town.” Regina’s gaze snapped up in shock and Spencer let out another sob. “I didn’t do it, Regina. You have to believe me, I didn’t do it.”

“I believe you sweetheart.” Regina reached out a laid a hand on Spencer’s shin where her leg was draped in her lap. 

“I swear I didn’t do it. But because we’re new here and people have been talking about…about our parents…and about how they died…” Spencer watched Regina take a deep breath and gather herself.

“I’m so sorry, Spencer. Of course they are, I should have realized this would happen.” Spencer was shocked when she realized that Regina was actually mad at herself. _I can’t lie to her anymore. She cares about us. She really does. And if Regina knew everything than we wouldn’t have to tell any more lies._ “I’m…” for the first time Regina looked hesitant, “I know that’s a sensitive…topic, for you two. I’m so sorry people are using your history and spreading rumours and gossip.”

“That…that fire….” _You can do this, Swan. Just tell the truth. Just tell her the truth._ “Regina…about that fire…”

Regina instantly shushed her. “Hush, it’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t have to tell me anything, okay? I understand how you feel and how complicated your emotions about that must be. Everything’s going to be okay now, okay, dear? I promise.” Regina gently set down Spencer’s one foot and brought the other leg up onto her lap. She took the damp washcloth and gently started cleaning her other foot. “Can you tell me what happened tonight though, dear?” 

_Fuck! You should have done it, Spencer. You should have just told her._ She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and sighed deeply. “Someone threw a brick through my bedroom window.” The words were flat and dull; and Spencer startled when Regina jumped while holding her foot.

“What?!” Regina’s jaw had dropped. “Spencer are you okay? What do you mean they threw a brick through your window? Sweetheart what happened?”

Spencer shrugged. “I was sitting in my room and a brick came crashing through the window. It had fire-starter written on it.” She wasn’t looking at Regina, she was speaking somewhere to the floor. _You should have told the truth. Now you’re still just lying and Regina is the only one who doesn’t know the truth. The only one who really matters anyway._

“Oh my god.” Regina seemed to physically pull herself together. “And Emma?”

“She tried to chase them down but they ran as soon as they threw it.” Spencer answered.

“Oh my goodness. Oh how terrifying.” Regina gave Spencer’s foot one final wipe and when she sat her foot gently back down she pulled the blonde, cocooned in the blanket, into her arms again. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, dear. So sorry.”

_Is…is she really going to ask no questions? Is she really not going to start wondering?_ Spencer remained quiet now that she had started to calm down and was no longer sobbing and Regina seemed content to hold her close on the couch. The brunette ran one hand soothingly up and down her back and the fingers of her other hand gently carded through her hair. “Emma and I fought.” Spencer whispered after a moment. 

Regina hummed. “I can imagine it was a very stressful situation for you both sweetheart. I’m sure emotions were running high and all over the place.”

“She’s going to make us leave.” 

The brunette finally froze. “What?”

“She’s packing to leave…right now…”

“What,” Regina sputtered and Spencer leaned back to see the incredulous look on her face, “what do you mean, leave? She can’t just…you can’t- she can’t just pack up and leave town in the middle of the night.”

“We’ve done it before.” Spencer admitted. She looked down so she wouldn’t have to meet Regina’s eyes but the brunette just pulled her close into the circle of her arms again. “Emma’s whole life has been about protecting me…and when she thinks something is dangerous or not good for me we just run away and leave…”

“Ah.” Regina sighed like she finally understood. “Okay, it’s going to be okay.”

“I don’t want to leave, Regina.” Spencer muttered practically into the fabric of the robe Regina was wearing. “I don’t want to leave the town or school or you…or Ashley.”

“Oh Spencer. Neither Ashley nor I want you to leave either. So you and Emma fought?” She pressed gently. 

The blonde nodded. “We’ve never really argued like that before. I said I couldn’t leave and Emma ordered me to start packing. I just ran.” Spencer was shaking a little bit again. “I thought if anyone could change her mind it would be you.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Regina sighed and clearly chose her words carefully. “I can’t promise that you can stay, you know that, right? If Emma is insistent about leaving there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’ll try, okay? I’ll try my best to get Emma to see that running isn’t for the best.”

“Okay.” Spencer closed her eyes and leaned even more of her weight onto Regina. “If I know Emma, she’ll be here soon.” Spencer whispered softly. 

Regina ran her fingers through the blonde’s hair again. “I have no doubt about that either.” 

** 

Regina heard the soft, though not tentative, knock on her front door from her place on the couch in her study and she sighed deeply like she was preparing for war. 

Once again, Regina found herself not sure about what she was feeling. Heartbreak, for starters; her heart had nearly split at the sight of the dishevelled, upset and crying blonde teenager that had shown up on her doorstep tonight. There was still some rage involved; how dare someone throw a brick through Spencer’s window? She could have been hurt or killed and Regina had wanted to bundle the blonde in the safety of her arms and keep her there forever. She would find the people responsible, one way or the other, and they would be punished severely. 

She was also trying not to let her anger spill over on to Emma. Her first thoughts since she had answered the pounding on her door late at night had only been for Spencer. Yet lingering, in the back of her mind, thoughts of Emma had begun to nag her too. _How could Emma plan to pack up and flee in the middle of the night without so much as a word for me and Ashley? Do I really rank so little that I don’t even warrant a goodbye?_ But somewhere between tending to Spencer’s feet and the blonde falling asleep in her arms on the couch she admitted that she had to give the elder blonde a little bit of leeway. 

_What would I have done if a brick had come flying through Ashley’s bedroom window? Or…oh God…or Henry’s?_ Regina basically bared her teeth even at the thought and conceded she might have packed her kids in the Benz and fled as well. 

She carefully shifted Spencer so that she was laying down and Regina fixed the blanket around her. She was glad the blonde hadn’t woken and, if she knew anything about meltdowns, figured the blonde wouldn’t wake right now for anything. 

She carefully fixed her robe about herself and wished that she was wearing literally anything else when she opened the door to face Emma. She couldn’t quite pull off her mayoral mask and she knew her facial expression slipped when she took in the look on Emma’s face; there wasn’t one. 

If she thought that Emma had been emotionless during her initial mishandling of Emma’s scars she was clearly mistaken because there was barely even any recognition in Emma’s eyes even as she stared Regina down. “Is she ready to go?” The blonde’s voice was flat. 

“Really?” Regina felt her anger rising. _Maybe I can be mad at Emma after all._ “That’s all you have to say?”

“Is she ready to go, Regina?”

“No. She isn’t ready to go because she’s asleep on my couch after a traumatic night.” Regina spat the words and waited to see some sort of reaction from the other woman; she didn’t get one.

“I’ll go wake her. We have to leave.” Emma went to take a step inside the mansion and Regina stepped in her way. _Oh my god, what am I doing? Emma has every legal right to take Spencer from Storybrooke._

“And that’s it? You’re just going to take Spencer and run away?”

“Regina. I don’t want to do this.”

“Tough.” Regina snarled. “We’re doing this. You don’t get to just come here and take Spencer and leave never to be seen from again.” _Actually she can._ “You have a job and responsibilities here. You have people here.”

“And apparently Spencer isn’t safe here.” 

Regina still didn’t like the emotionless voice Emma was using. When the blonde went to take another step inside Regina blocked her path again. “What about Ashley, hmm? She’s a struggling alcoholic who looks up to you and were just going to leave her without a word?” Emma’s mouth tightened. “Fully knowing you were going to completely wreck her by leaving, with Spencer, without a word, and probably sending her into a spiral?”

“Regina. Don’t.” Emma warned.

The brunette didn’t heed the warning. “And what about me? You were going to leave me without even a goodbye? Do I mean so little to you? Do I mean nothing to you?”

Emma closed her eyes and clenched her hands. “You know that’s not true.”

“It sure feels like it’s true.” Regina’s features twisted into a sneer. “I didn’t know I was dating such a coward.”

Finally Emma’s emerald eyes flashed. “Don’t, Regina.” Her voice was like ice. 

“Don’t what? Tell the truth? Things get hard and you run away, that’s your M.O isn’t it? I think you hide behind the excuse of doing anything for Spencer when really you’re doing things for yourself.”

“You have no idea the things I’ve done for Spencer!” Emma whisper yelled in Regina’s face. “No idea! Don’t you dare talk about-”

“When Spencer shows up at my door in the middle of the night crying I can talk about whatever I-”

“You have no right! Fucking Christ you’re a parent Regina, you know the lengths we’ll go to for our-”

“Don’t you _dare_ say anything about me as a parent! I have raised two-”

“Who do you think raised Spencer!? I have done _everything_ for-”

“And I haven’t?! I will do _anything_ for Henry and Ashley and if you-”

“And you think I wouldn’t?! Why do you think I’m trying to leave?! It’s because-”

“You’re a coward! You’re a coward Emma! You should teach Spencer to fight for the things she cares about so she doesn’t become a coward like you and you know it!”

Emma blinked.

Regina’s back slammed almost painfully into the wall and Emma’s body was pressed against her with force. Regina’s hands instinctively threaded into Emma’s hair and she directed the blonde’s mouth harshly against her own where they kissed with bruising intensity. Every inch of Regina could feel Emma’s body along her length and the blonde continued to push her into the wall beside the front door. 

Regina bit Emma’s lip, _hard_ , and the blonde’s hands found Regina’s hips and gripped her tight enough to bruise. Regina tightened her grip in Emma’s hair and yanked until the blonde moaned into her mouth. 

The brunette couldn’t move an inch, pressed bodily into the wall, but she could slide one leg behind Emma’s and hitch it around a muscular, jean clad calf; Emma instantly pressed forward with her hips and Regina groaned at the increased friction. 

“Regina. Regina.” Each fervent whisper was said against plump, kiss swollen lips and Regina responded by using Emma’s hair to pull the blonde’s head backward so she could attack her throat. Every kiss and lick and _bite_ caused Emma to thrust her hips forward into Regina. 

“Yes. Yes.” 

Emma slid her hands from Regina’s hips up to the tie on Regina’s robe and forced it open with shaking hands. She let her fingertips find the brunette’s silk pajamas and then slip underneath to run along smooth, silky skin. 

Regina bit sharply into Emma’s throat when the blonde’s hands caressed her ribcage and slid higher. She used her hands to direct Emma’s face back to her own and made them lock eyes. “You don’t get to run. Do you hear me?” She punctuated each sentence with a rough kiss. She pulled Emma even closer so they were almost touching foreheads and breathing each other’s air. “I won’t let you.” A solitary tear leaked from the corner of Emma’s eye and Regina tilted her head to kiss the blonde’s cheek. “I won’t let you run away.” She whispered. “Not from us. Not from Ashley. And not from me.”

Emma could only manage a shaky nod as her eyes watered and Regina kissed her lips instantly again. 

“I’ve got you.” Regina breathed into Emma’s mouth. “I got you.”

The blonde’s kiss was suddenly forceful and the back of Regina’s head struck the wall behind her for the second time; she moaned deeply at Emma’s all-consuming kiss. Emma’s fingers dug into the skin at her waist and Regina used her hands still tangled in blonde hair and her foot hitched around Emma’s leg to try and pull her even closer; to touch and feel more of her. 

One of Emma’s hands slid down the brunette’s leg and gripped her at the back of her knee; she hitched Regina’s leg higher around her hip and spread the brunette’s legs even wider. Regina gave a guttural moan and shamelessly rubbed herself against Emma’s pelvis. The blonde trailed her lips across Regina’s jawline and she panted into the brunette’s ear. “I’ll fight.” She leaned her entire body into Regina as tight as she could. “I’ll fight.” 

_Good. And I’ll be there._

Regina finally loosened her grip in Emma’s hair from almost pulling at her scalp to softly caressing. She forced herself to stop grinding into Emma and instead of biting harshly at her skin she gently kissed and teased her lips along her throat. 

Emma followed the other woman’s cues and softened her touch and finally leaned her head back just enough to meet her eyes again. Regina didn’t know what she was looking for but she let the blonde look. She brought up no mask or wall to hide behind and met Emma’s vulnerable stare with one of her own. 

When the blonde wobbled Regina gently griped her shoulders but Emma, without breaking eye contact, slowly sank down to her knees. Regina gasped and her heart caught in her throat gazing down the woman before her.

“Forgive me.”

“You’re forgiven.” Regina didn’t hesitate for even a second as she whispered her own words back. She didn’t know what Emma was asking forgiveness for but she knew in her soul that the blonde already had it.

Emma leaned forward and rested her forehead gently against Regina’s stomach; Regina’s hands carded gently, softly, though blonde locks and she held the woman close. 

She was completely content in Emma’s stillness. 

**

Ashley was entirely positive that she had never sat down to a meal with more secrets, awkwardness, tension and high running emotion in her life. 

And this was only breakfast.

Ashley had been stunned nearly stupid when Regina had actually woken her up for breakfast and informed her that both the Swans were here to eat with them. Ashley had been excited, though confused, and had thrown on her nicest pair of sweats and a sweater to meet them downstairs. 

Now she was far more confused than excited. 

First there was Spencer. She was sitting beside Ashley though the brunette didn’t think the blonde had taken her eyes off her plate of ham and eggs once- _and is she wearing Regina’s yoga pants?_

Then there was Regina herself. She was, as always, the perfect, consummate hostess and she treated her guests with respect and politeness. If it wasn’t for the large bags under her eyes that makeup couldn’t quite cover up Ashley would almost believe that there was nothing wrong with her. 

And speaking of makeup, Ashley was almost trying to keep her eyes away from Emma. It wasn’t that she had been seriously looking for it but once she _had_ noticed she couldn’t keep her eyes off the fact that Emma had quite a few spots along her neck that had been covered up with makeup that was a few shades darker than her own pale skin. She was happy for them, she supposed- _but what the actual hell happened last night?_

Ashley wasn’t used to being completely out of the loop and out of the drama. There was the fact that Spencer and Emma hadn’t spoken a word to each other the entire breakfast even though they were sitting across from each other. There was the stilted politeness, _embarrassment?_ , between Regina and Emma and it would honestly probably be less noticeable if they just made sex eyes at each other. There was the protective maternal air that Regina was displaying around Spencer and Ashley couldn’t even count the amount of times that Regina had brushed her fingers gently through Spencer’s hair or touched her shoulder comfortingly. 

_Seriously, what in the actual hell happened last night?_

“Can I have some more bacon?” Ashley grinned widely at her cousin’s words.

And then there was Henry; completely oblivious to the tension, both the sexual and the angry, and had taken the fact there were suddenly two extra blondes at the breakfast table in stride with a happy smile. 

Ashley passed over the plate of bacon with a smirk and wink and pretended not to notice Regina’s disapproving look. She listened to the clink of cutlery and no one speaking for only two more minutes before she broke. “So is anyone going to tell me?”

“Ashley.” Regina’s voice was a warning and she watched her aunt’s eyes flick over to Henry. Ashley considered pressing anyway but her self-preservation instinct told her pushing Regina right now would be stupid. She spent the next ten minutes while Henry finished his plate trying to catch Spencer’s eye but the blonde wouldn’t look up. 

_So it’s bad. Whatever happened it’s obviously very bad. Fuck is there anything else that could possibly go wrong lately? Fuck me sideways, should probably knock on wood._ Ashley tried to surreptitiously rap her knuckles twice on the kitchen table but she caught Emma’s smirk from across the table and assumed the elder blonde knew exactly what had been running through her mind; it wasn’t the first time she considered that Emma might be mind-reader.

Henry eventually asked to be excused and for permission to go play video games in the living room. Regina granted the boys request with a genuinely affectionate smile. The second the little brown haired boy had dashed out of view Ashley swivelled her gaze between the other three with eyebrows arched. When no one still spoke Ashley scrunched her chair closer to Spencer. 

“Spence? Please talk to me. You guys are kinda really freaking me out.” Ashley kept her voice low even though she knew the adults could hear things clearly. Spencer didn’t say anything but she reached out with one hand and grasped Ashley’s tightly. Ashley instantly felt better with some kind of connection to the other girl but she was also a little frightened by how tightly Spencer clutched at her hand. “Spence?”

Regina was the one who finally sighed and broke the stalemate. “So, something serious happened last night and I want you to keep in mind that everyone is fine and everything is fine.”

_Oh god it’s so bad they think I’m going to go out on a bender._ Now Ashley was the one clutching Spencer’s hand tightly. 

The younger blonde finally looked up and Ashley took in the bags under her eyes and how tired and defeated she looked. “Babe?” Ashley whispered quietly. 

“Honestly, it’s okay. Everyone overreacted.” Ashley pretended not to notice Emma’s hands clenched harshly around her knife and fork. “You know how there have been rumours at school about me maybe being the fire-starter? Because we’re new and everyone heard about our parents?” 

Ashley swallowed reflexively under the barrage of knowledge in Spencer’s blunt and simple speech. _Okay. To my knowledge Emma and Regina didn’t know about any of that. How the fuck am I supposed to play this? Damnit Davies, maybe you should have waited until you and Spencer were alone._ “Yeah.” Spencer was squeezing her hand tightly to the point of pain. “I told you to ignore the rumours.” Ashley tried. “I’ve heard like eight different guesses about who the arsonist is and they’re all crazy.” She noticed Spencer’s grip wasn’t quite as tight now. 

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Well apparently someone is pretty fixated on Spencer.” Emma spat her first words of the morning and Ashley was honestly surprised by the venom in her voice. 

“What happened?” Ashley asked again. 

Spencer sighed. “Late last night someone threw a brick through my window-”

“What?!” Ashley had nearly jumped out of her seat. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Ashley! Language.”

“Glad somebody else is outraged with me.”

“We never said it wasn’t a big deal-”

“No, just not _that_ big of a deal.” 

“You still overreacted completely!”

“Enough, dear. We will not be arguing about this-”

Ashley let out a shrill whistle with her thumb and middle finger in her mouth and everyone fell silent; even Ashley looked a little stunned. “Wow, I’ve always wanted to do that in real life.” Only Spencer managed a small smile with her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to start a huge argument. Just…God, Spence, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” Spencer insisted again. “Emma and I just…had a little disagreement. I wanted to, um, talk to Regina and get some advice so I came over late and Emma eventually came to pick me up. It was super late and Regina insisted we stay.” 

“And,” Regina somehow managed to look regal even when rising to gather dishes to take them to kitchen, “I convinced Emma that she and Spencer should stay here for a few days until the culprit behind the brick incident is caught.” The elder brunette swept from the room before anyone could contradict her and Ashley looked over to meet Spencer’s gaze.

They had matching shocked looks and dropped jaws.

_Spencer is going to be living…here?_ Before Ashley could even fully flash Spencer her best charming and slightly lecherous Davies grin Emma cleared her throat sharply. 

_Right. Both Swans. Well…this will be interesting._

** 

Due to the nature of her life Spencer was usually quite good at going with the flow and nothing really knocked her off stride or seemed bizarre. They moved too often to really get used to anything and one of Spencer’s first lessons in life had been to not get overtly attached to anything material. She and Emma had stayed in some pretty unique places and gotten themselves into some peculiar situations over the years.

But somehow sitting with Ashley in Regina’s dining room after the older brunette had dropped the bomb that the Swans were going to be staying there for a few days all while trying to keep straight who knew which lies and who knew which truths had thrown her for quite a loop.

And that was before Aiden and Madison had shown up. 

The teenagers had arrived at the mansion just after breakfast and, when put under an arched eyebrow look from the mayor, had admitted quite readily that the story of the fire-starter brick had already made the rounds on their social media. 

Both Emma and Regina had cursed and shared a look. Spencer was a little surprised to see the apparent ease with which the two adults communicated silently because, to her knowledge, they hadn’t been like that the day before. Although, Spencer really wasn’t entirely sure what had all gone down last night anyway. 

Her memories from the night before were a haze of pain, tears and Regina’s comforting embrace. She wasn’t sure exactly when she dozed off against the other woman on her couch but she knew she would be woken soon when Emma came to collect her; when Emma forced her to leave Storybrooke. Her only hope, the reason she’d come, was to take one final chance that Regina might be able to help.

The next thing Spencer knew the light peeking through the office blinds had woken her and she realized she’d slept the entire night on Regina’s couch. She’d tiptoed through the room and to the kitchen and found Regina and Emma already seated at the kitchen table sharing a coffee and quietly conversing. In a complete role reversal Regina had been the one to stand and embrace Spencer gently. The elder brunette had walked Spencer upstairs to her own master bedroom where she’d given the blonde a change of clothes and let her use the shower. By the time Spencer made it back downstairs Regina had been cooking and said that Ashley and Henry would be down in a moment. 

Spencer had not looked directly at her sister but had instead watched her from the corner of her eye. _What the hell is going on here? And why aren’t we on the road already one state over?_ The fact that Emma was sitting calmly at Regina’s breakfast table made Spencer think that her completely spur of the moment, while in a panic, plan had worked and that Regina had convinced Emma to stay. _But really, what on earth happened last night after I fell asleep?_

The appearance of Aiden and Madison had dashed any hope Spencer had held about keeping the brick incident mostly underwraps. Ashley had taken her hand comfortingly when she’d led the group upstairs into her bedroom so they could talk without the adults, the mayor and the deputy at that, interfering or eavesdropping.

Madison strolled into Ashley’s room like she owned it and sprawled out on top of the bed like she belonged there. Spencer still didn’t have it in her to be jealous, _at least not over Madison_ , and she caught Ashley’s eye roll and scoff at the action either way. 

“I’m so sorry, Spence.” Aiden pulled her into his arms and Spencer allowed the touch and rested her head against the much taller athlete’s chest. “Are you okay? Was it terrifying?” Spencer could practically feel his chest vibrate as he mumbled the questions while holding her tightly. 

“You gonna let the girl breathe, Aid?” Ashley’s voice was light but Spencer heard the edge anyway and pulled away from Aiden smirking. _Apparently Ashley does have it in her to be jealous._ Aiden’s arms were still mostly around her and Spencer nodded her head lightly at the Latina preening in Ashley’s sheets like she was intimately familiar with them. “Alright, can we get down to business here?” Ashley huffed and Spencer chuckled. 

The blonde gripped Aiden’s hands in thanks before moving over to her girlfriend. _It’s fine that I use that word right? It’s probably fine. I mean, we now literally know everything about each other._

“What did you guys hear?” Spencer asked and she noticed Ashley dropped her jealous stance so she could rub her arm soothingly. 

“It’s all over social media.” Madison informed her promptly. Spencer watched her scroll on her phone with a perfectly manicured thumbnail. “In Storybrooke circles it definitely went viral.”

“Video? Pictures?” Spencer asked.

“No video.” The Latina turned the phone around for Ashley and Spencer to see. “But after the fact pictures.”

Spencer stepped closer and examined the pictures that had been posted. The inside of the house was dark and it wasn’t pitch black out so Spencer concluded someone had come back to the house hours after she and Emma had left it. It was easy to see that the window had been completely shattered with force. 

“Why didn’t you get the same updates, Ash?” Aiden asked and the brunette scowled.

“I don’t know, my phone is fucked. It’s so broken it only works when it wants to.”

“ _Chica_ , I thought you were taking care of that?”

“Bitch, I’ve been a little busy, alright?” Ashley growled and Spencer stepped in before the best friend fought again. 

“Okay. Obviously none of the posts say who did it, right?”

“No such luck.” Aiden gave her a sympathetic look. “I checked every one and even texted all the guys on the team. If anybody _does_ know something they’re keeping it very on the D L for now.”

“Well, we can assume it was someone from the high school right?” Spencer was trying to think and she paced lightly around Ashley’s bedroom looking at things aimlessly. “The high school kids were the ones who were gossiping about me possibly being the fire-starter so it makes sense that they were the ones to do this.”

“It makes sense they were gossiping.” Madison said in an offhand voice, only half paying attention. “I thought it was you too.”

Spencer was more shocked that Madison would casually admit that to her face than that she thought it but Ashley nearly exploded. 

“Watch your fucking mouth, Mads.” She snarled. “I wouldn’t let anyone else talk about Spencer like that I sure as fuck won’t let you.”

Madison didn’t even bat an eyelash. “What? I just said it made sense. New girl in town, traumatic tragic past with fires, always had that lighter and said that it was good therapy.” She shrugged.

Aiden tilted his head. “What lighter?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ashley snapped. “Spencer isn’t the fucking fire-starter. What I want to know is who threw a motherfucking brick through my girlfriend’s window.”

Madison did look shocked now but Spencer was too busy gazing at Ashley affectionately to bother with her. _God what did I ever do to deserve this girl?_

“I bet it was Peter fucking Pan.” Ashley speculated after a moment of silence and Spencer turned her head when Aiden was the one who interjected.

“No go, Ash. We were having a midnight pickup game down at the court and Gold was there. He’s been at every pickup game since he got ousted from the team just so he can shoot.”

“Fuck.”

“You can vouch for his whereabouts the whole time, Aid?” Spencer’s was voice was light and Aiden seemingly took no offence to her double-checking. 

“Unfortunately, yes. He was a skin with me, he dished to me all game long.”

“Okay, so Gold is out.” Spencer continued her pacing and she knew the others were watching her. “How about the rest of the team?”

Aiden shrugged. “I can’t see it. None of them were really hard-up about gossiping about you.”

“Ditto for my team and the squad.” Madison chimed in. “I mean they’re gossips, but I can’t picture any of my girls actually getting their hands dirty by throwing a brick.”

“God forbid a cheerleader risk breaking a nail.” Ashley muttered and Spencer smirked. 

“So where does that leave us?” 

“Nowhere.” Ashley reached for Spencer’s hand. “We just need to get more information, Spence.”

“I know.” Spencer took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm. It was easier when alone in Ashley’s presence, and while she actually felt quite safe with Aiden, with everyone together at once plus Madison she kind of just wanted to leave and curl back up on the couch with Regina. _Regina can clearly fix any problem, even an impossible one like Emma. Maybe we should get her in on this?_

“Well.” Spencer noted the change in Madison’s voice and from the tensing of Ashley’s shoulders she did as well. “If there’s nothing more to discuss about the unfortunate brick situation, perhaps we can discuss our other issue?”

“Madison.” Ashley warned but Madison ignored her. 

“Face it, Ash. Spunk is our more pressing issue.” 

_Spunk is our more pressing issue?_ Spencer noticed Ashley shifting her weight from foot to foot. Well that’s a guilty posture if I’ve ever seen one. “Ashley?” The brunette wouldn’t look at her. 

“Well?” Madison finally put her phone down. “Did you manage to weasel any information out of the elder Swan or not?”

Spencer blinked. _Excuse me?_ “Ashley? What does she mean by that?”

Ashley swallowed and Spencer narrowed her eyes. “Okay, don’t be mad, but-”

The blonde scoffed automatically. “I thought you were some sort of charmer, Davies.” Spencer interjected. “Don’t you know never to start a sentence to the girl you’re seeing with the word’s “don’t be mad but”.” 

“Okay.” Ashley turned to face her and lowered her voice pretending like Aiden and Madison couldn’t hear. “So I went to the hangout cause everyone was freaking out about Spunk going down. And Spence…if he talks…it won’t go well for Aiden or me.”

“Or the whole high school.” Madison chimed in. 

“So?” _Please tell me you didn’t do anything stupid, Ashley._

“So…I promised them that I would use my…connection to you to get to Emma and find out what she knew.”

_Something stupid like that._

**

Regina couldn’t manage to take her eyes off Emma. They had gone down a road and Regina knew, deep in her soul, that one way or another there was no going back to where she had started. One way or another this thing with Emma would leave her irrevocably changed. 

From the moment she had traced those tattoos, unknowingly traced over the scars beneath them, to Spencer crumbling apart in her arms, to Emma’s passion colliding forcefully with her own and then the elder blonde breaking apart in her embrace, Regina felt like she had almost become a different person. The same mother, the same mayor, but now the blondes were a part of her too.

Emma’s hands were braced on the breakfast nook and though Regina couldn’t quite see she would bet the blonde’s knuckles were white. Her head was down, a curtain of blonde locks shielding her face, but Regina could imagine the haunting pain and fear in those emerald orbs. The blonde was dressed in her usual attire of a tank top and a plaid, flannel shirt but Regina knew that the muscles that ran like cables up her arms and down her back would be tensed and locked tight. To Regina she looked like a warrior, poised for battle to protect everyone she cared about but haunted by the knowledge that their safety rested on her shoulders. 

_My warrior. My knight._

Regina stalked forward, knowing the clicking of her heels gave her away, but was touched by the knowledge that Emma did not move and allowed her to approach at her back. She placed her hands gently against the blonde’s shoulders which, as she knew they would be, were fraught with tension. She stepped closer, sliding her hands down a toned back and eventually locked them around her ribs. She let herself lean flush against Emma’s back and rested her forehead on the space between the blonde’s shoulder blades. 

She said nothing, for she felt there was nothing really that she could say, but instead she basked in the blonde’s continued presence and let Emma feel that she was there. Slowly, the tension started to leak from Emma’s muscles and Regina let her lips quirk into a smile that the blonde could probably feel against her back.

The moment was shattered two minutes later by the harsh vibrate of a phone on the nook. Regina growled and it made Emma chuckle. 

“Mine or yours?” Regina asked with her face still pressed into Emma’s shoulder blades.

“Yours.”

Regina reached out blindly and accepted the phone Emma was passing over her own shoulder. Only then did she stand and assume her mayoral mask to answer the call. “Mayor Mills.”

“Ah, Regina.”

The mayor grit her teeth at the oily voice of Mr. Gold. _This was the absolute last phone call I wanted to receive this morning._ “Mr. Gold. What can I do for you?” She noticed Emma tensing back up and finally moving to stand straight and ready at the mention of his name. 

“I offered to call you with the news, Regina.”

“News?” _Why am I suddenly being repeatedly blindsided in my own goddamn town? This is unacceptable._

“Yes. We’ve called for an emergency Town Council meeting. It’s in a half an hour. I got the appropriate amount of votes, of course.” 

_Of course. Appropriate meaning four of seven, and four being you, Albert Spencer, Mother Superior and Geoffrey Doc. But half an hour? They’ve already got a plan for something and they’re already implementing it._ “Of course.” Regina kept her voice totally unaffected. “I look forward to it.” She hung up the phone before Gold could say anything else.

“Trouble?” Emma asked softly. Regina became aware of the hand that was gently tracing up and down her spine. 

“Always. Gold has called for emergency meeting. He and the others are up to something.”

“You’ll handle it.” Emma’s expression was still muted, as it had been since last night, but Regina could read the genuine confidence in her gaze. “You’re Regina fucking Mills.” The blonde smirked when Regina rolled her eyes at the curse. “Go show the town council who’s boss.”

Reinga let some of Emma’s confidence infuse her and she gave a feral grin. “With pleasure.”

The brunette made sure that she was early, and not looking rushed, and she stepped out of the Benz at the same moment as Kathryn pulled her car into the space beside her. Regina waited and the blonde met her with a harried expression. 

“What a morning, huh?”

“Indeed.” Regina noticed that Kathryn looked slightly less put together than usual. “I see you only received a half an hour warning as well?”

Kathryn laughed. “What were they thinking? I was still in bed with Frederick for Christ sake.”

Regina gave her a sympathetic look. “Was he upset?”

“Oh he’ll survive. I’m sure I’ll be making it up to him.” Kathryn teased. They crossed the threshold of Town Hall together and found Graham waiting for them at the inner doors. 

“Regina,”

“Save it.” Regina snarled. _God he’s becoming incompetent. And he used to do my bidding so well._ Regina had been running contingencies since she received the call from Gold so that she would have some semblance of a plan to counter their attack. _God it could be anything from those blasted nuns again to them trying to oust me as Mayor._ Regina would give up control of this town to those vultures over her dead body. 

“Do we know what this is about?” Kathryn asked Graham as she took a sip of coffee from a travel mug. Graham shrugged his shoulders and Regina rolled her eyes. 

“Could be anything from break-ins to fires to drugs, take your pick.” She snarked. She made sure her mask was firmly in place before she strode her way into the council room with Kathryn and Graham at her back. She instantly took stock of the four already seated around the table. Doc looked neutral, possibly even a little bored, and Regina quickly deduced he had been bullied for his vote and she dismissed him. Mother Superior had her usual holier-than-thou look firmly in place but she didn’t have her “about to deliver the true message of God” smirk on and Regina knew instantly that whatever this was about, it wasn’t about the nuns. 

Russel Gold and Albert Spencer were the two who were trying not to smile like the cats who devoured a nest of canaries. _I don’t know why I even considered otherwise._

“So nice of you all to join us.” Albert sneered in his usual disdainful voice. “Can we move this meeting along?”

“Quite.” Regina gave him a dangerous smile. “I don’t think anyone wants to waste more of their morning than we already are.”

“I don’t think anyone thinks this is a waste, Regina.” Gold smiled like he was innocently remarking on their collective morals. “We know this is an important issue.”

“Is it?” Regina took a seat and stared out at them. “Very well. I bring this Town Council to order and move to our only item on the agenda.” Regina had long since learned how to speak as if she was always in control and in charge of the room even when she was going in blind. 

“Well,” Gold started slowly, “we were all concerned about the apparent stalling of a closed investigation when we know how much it could benefit the town if they knew they were safe once again.”

“Stalled investigation?” 

Regina was glad that Kathryn had spoken up so she didn’t have to.

“Yes.” Albert tossed them a file folder. “We’re moving forward with charges against one Calvin Spunketti.”

_That’s what this is about?_ “Charges for simple possession?”

“Among other things.” The district attorney gave an uncaring hand wave. “Possession, trafficking, arson, and breaking and entering.”

“I beg your pardon?” Regina reached for the file folder. “Charging him with what evidence?”

“I was convinced by the evidence I was presented by Sheriff Humbert.” Albert stated easily and it took everything in Regina not to turn her glare over to Graham. 

“Is that so?”

“It appears so.” Gold took back over the narrative. “Imagine our surprise when we found out that you were apparently stalling in the boy’s charging because your…friend,” Gold smirked openly now, “wished the culprit to be somebody else. But we can’t think of what’s good for deputy Swan, Regina, we need to think of what’s good for the whole town.”

“Don’t you dare question my integrity or my dedication to this town, Gold.” Regina warned. “It was my understanding that there was not enough evidence to charge Mr. Spunketti with most of these crimes and that the deputy and the Sheriff were looking for evidence one way or the other.”

Gold and Albert swung their looks to Graham. “Sheriff?” Gold put him on the spot. 

Graham shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “I told you that I was unconvinced about deputy Swan’s idea that someone else was responsible. I presented my evidence to the DA and he was convinced.”

_You complete and utter spineless coward._ Regina wished she could tear Graham apart right now. 

“You see, Regina.” Gold continued like he was explaining things to a child. “Everyone else could see the obvious that this young man was responsible for Storybrooke’s sudden crime influx.”

Mother Superior finally chimed in with her own condescending opinion. “He always was such a troubled boy, who wouldn’t let us or the Church help him on his path.”

“It’s done.” Albert was at least blunt. “I’m proceeding with the charges and Storybrooke will be rid of this delinquent once and for all.” 

_But Emma truly believes that Spunketti didn’t do those things. That he is in trouble himself._ Regina looked around the table and knew that, especially with Graham apparently on their side, she and Kathryn could not turn the tide and change the vote. 

_A delinquent. That’s what this whole town thinks of Ashley too._

_Everyone except for Emma._

**

Emma was a complete mess of contradicting and conflicting emotions. Relieved and terrified. Content and angry. Calm and apprehensive. 

For the first time that Emma could remember she and Spencer were not speaking. _God do I even have a right to still be furious with her? She promised me she would never do what she did. To keep us, to keep her safe, we have to live a certain way and she’s always understood that. And last night she broke the rules. She ran away and anything could have happened when she made her stand._

_But she ran right to Regina._

The blonde also knew that Ashely wasn’t stupid and had probably noticed the change between her and Regina this morning at breakfast. But as calm and collected as Emma normally was she just couldn’t help herself. Regina had changed something, had changed _her_. No one had ever dared to call her a coward before and when Emma had heard the insult hurled at her she had felt her indignation wither and die. _Have I been a coward? Have I been running my whole life? Am I still letting the fear and the horror of my childhood effect my decision now?_

It had come down to what it always came down to: Spencer. _Do I want this to be the rest of Spencer’s life? Running, and never letting anyone in? Do I really want Spencer to become just like me?_

Emma looked back on the force she practically attacked Regina with in a little bit of embarrassment. Opening the floodgates that were her repressed emotions, her feelings, her secret hope of one day not having to run, and she had felt possessed to completely _consume_ Regina; and the brunette had matched her as an equal.

It was definitely too much for Emma and when her head had spun and her legs grew weak Regina had still been there. Regina had been the strong one and Emma had, for the first time, been content to lay herself bare and trust that this woman wouldn’t break her. 

_But where does that leave us? Christ, we’re still lying to Regina and to Ashley. There’s still an arsonist and a drug problem, not to mention someone has now broken into our home and thrown a brick through Spencer’s window._ Emma’s hands tightened into fists and she heard her knuckles pop. 

The blonde still wanted to run. A lifetime of running does not escape a person in a day. Every time she even glanced at Spencer out of the corner of her eye she wanted to grab her and start running. Anything she had to do to keep her safe. 

But now something was holding her back. Something was holding her down. _Is this what it feels like to have roots somewhere?_

Her phone vibrated on the kitchen table and she answered it quickly at Regina’s name. “Hey, Regina, I was just-”

“Emma.” 

The blonde went completely still at the tone of Regina’s voice. 

“Emma listen to me. Town Council has voted and they’re moving against Spunketti. They’re blaming him for everything and charging him on multiple counts.”

“What? Regina, he’s not the one to blame for the drug dealing, and he definitely didn’t do the arson. Regina,” Emma’s teeth were clenched, “they’re going to ruin this kids life forever.” 

She heard Regina’s deep exhale over the phone. “I know. And I believe you. I’ll stall them here for as long as can so you’ll have one more chance Emma. Get Spunk to tell you everything. You have to.”

Emma was almost too choked for words. “Regina,”

“I know. Hurry, Emma.”

Both women hung up and Emma stared at her phone for one more second. _She shouldn’t have done that. She shouldn’t have given me a heads up, that’s technically breaking the rules. She’s really got your back, Swan. She really does._

As quickly as she could she scribbled a note on the counter for Spencer and Ashley and then she was snatching her keys and racing to her car in the driveway. She ignored the boxes in the backseat, her and Spencer’s whole life still packed up and ready to leave, and drove as quickly as she could to the police station. 

_How long can Regina possibly stall them?_

Emma bolted through the doors of the station and quickly used her key to get inside the inner doors. The fact they were still locked was a good sign; only Regina, Graham and herself had keys and that meant they hadn’t come to collect Spunk yet. 

The blonde barrelled through the doors and she saw Spunk, across the room and laying on the cot in his cell, sit up in surprise at her abrupt running entrance. 

“Swan?” He looked around in alarm. “What’s going on?”

Emma took a moment to control her emotions because seeming frazzled in front of him wasn’t going to help. She grabbed her computer chair and rolled it over right to the bars of Spunk’s holding cell. She rested her elbows on her knees and leaned towards him so she could face him earnestly. “Kid. I mean this with all certainty when I tell you that this is your last chance to talk to me.”

Spunk swallowed and Emma could read the fear on his face easily. “What’s happened?”

“It’s official now because I just got word from Town Hall. Spunk, they’re charging you with everything that has gone wrong in this town. Do you understand what that means? They’re making you the scapegoat. You’re getting thrown under the bus. You will get charged for drug possession and trafficking, burglary at my residence, and even the arson fires.” Emma had to force herself to speak slowly even though she knew she was probably running out of time. “The mayor’s hands are tied and so are mine unless you talk to me. Do you know how much time that will be for you? That’s class B, C, and A crimes, kid. You’re looking at 45 years.” Emma kept her words soft and her hands open. “You will be an old man by the time you get out of prison.”

“I didn’t do those things.” Spunk’s face was twisted and his hands were shaking. Emma rolled her chair across the floor with her feet and reached into her desk drawer for a package of Spunk’s confiscated cigarettes. She used his Bic to light one and then rolled back across the floor to pass it to him through the bars. He looked surprised but took it eagerly. _Rules be damned at this point._

“I believe you, kid. I believe you that you didn’t break into my house and that you didn’t set any of the fires. I believe that you got messed up with a bad situation you didn’t know how to get out of concerning the drugs in this town. I know you have a boss, kid. I know that person is the one calling the shots in this town and that’s who you’re afraid of.” Emma took a breath. “Do you know what it means to be at the crossroads?”

Spunk took a deep inhale on his smoke with fingers that still shook. “Gotta make a choice.”

“That’s right. I know you’re a reader so I know you’ve read this situation before. The moment before everything changes. When someone has to make the choice, to take the leap of faith.” Emma reached out and gripped the bars of his holding cell with one hand. “Whoever you’re scared of, I’ll protect you. Whatever you think that they will do to you, I will stop. Whoever you’re protecting, they’ve clearly cast you out. They’re letting you get steamrolled. They all voted at Town Council. Gold, the DA, the head Nun, the Sheriff. Shit even that little guy that runs the mines. You’re going down for this, Spunk. Unless you make a different choice.”

Emma tried not to glance at the clock on the wall behind her. _Please, Regina. Just a little longer. Just stall for a little bit longer._

“If I tell you everything I know about the drugs,” Spunk was practically whispering, “how do you know they won’t still charge me for the fires?”

“Because I think I have an idea about who the arsonist might be. And I think you’ll be able to help me with that too, kid.” Spunk was staring at a spot on the wall of his cell across from him. “I don’t want to rush you, kid. I know this isn’t fair. But at our crossroads? There’s a train coming. And you can either be on it, or under it.”

_C’mon, kid. You gotta trust me. Don’t make me wrong about you. Just trust me._

“Okay.” Spunk looked over at her. “I’ll tell you what happened. Everything. And I’ll tell you who really runs the drugs in this town.”

**

Ashley stared at the piano across the room. 

She hadn’t sat at it and played since her duet with Regina; where Regina had told her the truth about her birth. That she had almost been aborted. That Zelena had only agreed to carry the baby to term because her sister had begged her for the baby because she couldn’t have one of her own. That she had, apparently, had a perfect few first years growing up with Regina as her mother, living the life that she had always been jealous of Henry for having. That Zelena and Jefferson had changed their minds about her for some inexplicable reason and taken back possession of her like she was a thing that could be stolen. That Regina had fought in court to get Ashley back but Jefferson Davies had used his name, his influence and his money to get the decision to go his way. 

The brunette crossed the room and sat down at the bench. _Could my life get anymore fucked? I should probably stop saying that because somehow, someway, it probably could._ Ashley put her fingers to the keys and began playing freestyle gently. _Of course now I get the music back. Still in a drought though. No booze, no sex, and now no Spencer._

Ashley’s fingers shook lightly at the thought that the blonde was currently mad at her. She wanted to rant and argue and curse but she couldn’t because she would mostly be ranting and cursing at herself. _Even saying that I would abuse my relationship with Spencer and use Emma to get information to save our own skins was a shitty thing to do, and you knew it the second you did it, Davies. You can’t really be mad at Spencer for being upset that you would even say you’d do that._

_You can, on the other hand, be fucking pissed at Madison for bringing it up right in front of her._ Ashley slid her hands down to the lower register so she could play something that sounded a little more pissed off to fit her mood. _Goddamn it, Davies. You can be pissed at Madison all you want but it’s still your fault._

Ashley’s fingers slowed to play a more haunting tune when she remembered Spencer’s only words as she shook her head. _“After everything we’ve been through? After how much I thought we trusted each other? If you had just asked me I would have told you everything Emma knew.”_

_Goddamnit._ Ashley flubbed a note and then just dropped her fingers on the keys. _Why didn’t I just ask Spencer? Why didn’t asking her for help even occur to me?_

Spencer had excused herself out of Ashley’s bedroom after that, looking more upset and disappointed than angry, and Madison and Aiden had fled soon after at the look on Ashley’s face. Madison had still dared to pause at the door and tell Ashley to find out what Spencer could get from Emma soon. Had Ashley been holding anything she probably would have whipped it at the Latina’s face.

Ashley idly stroked her fingers over the keys but didn’t play anything. _This is not how I saw the rest of my morning going. I thought I’d finally get to talk to Spencer, she’d tell me what was going on and how she ended up here this morning…or last night? We would talk and I could comfort her and hopefully come up with a plan for what the hell we’re going to do with all the Storybrooke drama. Instead Spencer is upset and in the guest room alone, Regina and Emma are at work and I’m stuck here in the music room jonesing for a drink and the girl I like._

Ashley began humming slightly under her breath and then started playing an intro on the piano to match the tune.

_“You know this is your biggest mistake_   
_What a waste, what a waste, what a waste_   
_And of all the things you never explained_   
_You know this is your biggest mistake”_

The brunette moved her fingers fluidly and allowed a slightly more haunting melody to play underneath the basic line as she pictured Spencer’s face falling and the hurt and disappointment that had welled in her eyes.

_“I'm wilted and faded after all_   
_Too strung out and burnt out to be half the one that I could be_   
_I'll never belong inside your world_   
_So black out the sun and leave me to play out the same old tragedy”_

Ashley hated that she still wanted a drink. Hated that when things weren’t going perfectly she wished she could still reach for one. Hated that she had such issues with controlling herself; but now she could remind herself that Spencer knew what that felt like too.

_“And I said_   
_Hear me now, here and now I'm calling_   
_Memories wear me down_   
_And this seems so complicated_   
_When all you want is just the truth”_

When Ashley cut to the chorus she repeated the melody but this time in a slightly higher, and brighter, key.

_“I tread water_   
_Fighting for the air inside my lungs_   
_Move, move closer_   
_Maybe I can right all of my wrongs”_

_Okay, no. You know what, Davies._ Ashley stopped playing in the middle of her song. _Singing about maybes is stupid, and you’re stupid. Go fix things with Spencer right now before she has time to decide that she’s done with you._ Ashley got up from the piano bench abruptly and strode from the room. _I can fix this. I can definitely fix this._

The brunette practically growled when the doorbell rang. _C’mon, are you kidding me?_ She glanced down the hall at the closed guestroom door. She knew Regina and Emma weren’t in the house and Henry wasn’t to get the door alone anyway. _Damnit_. She shot one last look at Spencer’s door before turning on her heel and heading downstairs. The bell rang again and was accompanied by an aggressive repetitive knock. Ashley was borderline, and slightly irrationally, fuming by the time she made it down to the front door. _I swear to god this person doesn’t know who they’re messing with right now._

“What?” Ashley’s voice was already disdainful and rude when she swung the door open. Almost her entire body froze, except for her jaw which had dropped. 

“About damn time, darling. Aren’t you going to let us in?” 

“M-mom?” Ashley choked at the sight before her and at the sound of that cheery, fake British accent. 

“Well hello there, Alice girl.” Ashley turned her gaze to the slightly vacant look of the man standing just behind the red-headed figure of her mother.

“Dad?”

_Way to go, Davies. You jinxed it and spoke too fucking soon._

_Cause things just did get worse._


	17. Don't Make Me

Regina had been feeling exhausted so often lately that her body was simply adapting to it. _I feel like I’m back in law school for Christ sakes._ Regina turned off the Benz and took a deep breath at the sight of the mansion. _I need a break. A cup of tea…or maybe a glass of wine? I need to hear about my little prince's day because I feel like I haven’t seen him at all. Maybe Spencer and I can cook something nice for dinner and Ashley and Emma will get to spend some time together not running through the woods._ Regina was so lost in thought she almost walked right passed it. 

_Whose car is that?_ It was a grey four door sedan that looked brand new and sparkling in her driveway beside Ashley’s Porsche. _Did the Dennison’s get a new car?_ She doubted it was one of Ashley’s friends because, while she didn’t know everything about cars, she knew the Buick symbol on the hood and thought the car was a little too high-end for a teenager. Regina almost laughed as she continued to the mansion. _Says the woman who lives with a teenager who owns a Porsche._

The brunette opened the door and was startled because Ashley was standing right there like she’d been about to fling it open herself. “Ashley?” Regina regained her balance and took note of Ashley’s clenched hands, clenched jaw and panicked eyes. “Ashley what’s wrong?” Regina dropped her briefcase and brought one hand up to gently touch the teenagers shoulder. _Oh my god what now? Is it Spencer? Did something else happen? Did Emma call? Did something happen with Spunketti? Is she about to relapse? Did she relapse?_ “Ashley.” Regina made her voice remain calm. She knew there would have been a time not that long ago that they’d be fighting by now. “You can tell me. What’s happened?”

“Only good things, dear sister!”

Regina’s entire body froze at that voice. She didn’t know it as well now, faking that British accent, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to. Ashley flashed her a guilty look and Regina struggled not to scowl at the teen. _Not her fault. Anything that happens isn’t her fault._

She put on her mayoral mask and pulled up every defence she knew; Ashley obviously watched the change come over her because she took a step backwards. Regina walked with her head held high and strut into her living room. A slow burning fury was igniting in her veins at the sight of the deadbeats who had dared to come into her home. 

Zelena West was sitting on the couch like she owned the room. Her arms trailed along the back cushions and her legs were crossed at the knee. She was wearing red leather pants and a black corset style top and a long black coat with a fur lining. Her flame red hair was in gentle curls and her lips had been painted the same red as her pants. 

With disgust Regina let her eyes slide over to Jefferson Davies. He was slouched on the other end of the couch like he didn’t quite have the strength, or the energy, to sit up straight. He wore leather pants as well, though thankfully not as skin tight as his wife’s, and his looked like they’d been slept in. His trademarked shirt with ruffles at the collar and sleeve was notably absent and instead he wore a band t-shirt with his own band printed on the front. His slightly shaggy brown hair looked more dirty than stylishly messy and Regina seethed at the glazed, semi-vacant look on his face. 

“Good things?” Regina’s voice dripped with disdain as she glared down Jefferson who didn’t even both to act surprised. _Tell him he isn’t welcome here. Tell him to take his drug addicted ass and the get the hell out of my house and off my property. Tell him you will make him burn in hell if he so much as looks at you the wrong way._ Regina heard Ashley shift uncomfortably behind her and she, taking extended effort, reeled her temper back in. “This is certainly a surprise.” Regina turned her head and lowered her voice. “Henry?”

Ashley stepped up to her elbow. “I got him to call Nicholas and he got picked up by Nic and Ava’s mom to hang out at their house.” The younger brunette answered quickly.

_Good. One less thing to worry about._ “So.” Regina turned her gaze to her older sister. “What brings you to Storybrooke?” _What are you up to you conniving witch?_

“Whatever do you mean, sister dear?” Zelena faked surprise.

_Please, you’re not that good of an actress._ “I mean what are you doing in my town?” Regina’s snapped and Ashley shifted again.

Zelena’s fake smile was frozen in place. “What do you think we’re doing here? We came to see our daughter of course.” Zelena waved her hand in Ashley’s direction and gestured for her to come sit beside her.

_Came to see your daughter? Are you kidding me?_ “I don’t know what you’re playing at Zelena but,” Regina let the words drift away because her sisters smile had slipped; Ashley hadn’t moved an inch in her mothers direction. 

“Ashley.” Zelena tried again. “Your father and I travelled a long way to come and see you. I can’t help but notice that you don’t seem that excited?”

“I can’t help but notice you don’t seem that sincere.” Ashley mumbled. 

“What was that?” Zelena snapped; Regina moved bodily in front of Ashley. 

“You don’t speak to her like that.” Regina warned. _Nobody speaks to my kids like that._

Zelena arched an eyebrow but it was the half mad chuckle that drew all the women’s attention. “Such tension.” Jefferson managed to focus on Ashley, though it seemed like it took him some effort. “Come here, Alice girl. I wanna talk to you about your music.”

Regina tried not to let her face fall when she heard Ashley shuffle behind her and then go sit beside her father. _He’s her father. He might be an addled piece of garbage but he’s her father. None of this is Ashley’s fault. None of this is Ashley’s fault._ Still, the brunette couldn’t look over as Ashley’s took a tentative seat beside Jefferson and he laid a hand on her shoulder. Regina still fixed her gaze on Zelena but now her sister was smiling triumphantly. _You will not break Ashley’s heart again. I will not let you._ “Would you help me in the kitchen?” Regina’s smile was sickly sweet.

“Sure.” Zelena slapped her hands on her thighs and stood dramatically. “I couldn’t find anyway wine on my short perusal. I thought mother had taught you better than that?” Zelena smirked. 

The brunette ignored the jibe about their mother with gritted teeth. “I’m afraid the mansion is dry at the moment. Not quite to your taste, I’m sure.” 

“Dry?” Zelena actually laughed. “This isn’t a 1920’s speakeasy, dear sister, just who are you trying to impress?” 

“Impress?” Regina hissed and now that they were away from Ashley her tone became icy. “I am trying to help Ashley. You know, the teenage girl out in the living room? The struggling alcoholic? I understand if you don’t know her.” She gave Zelena her own sickly sweet smile. Regina didn’t even bother to pretend that she was getting something from the kitchen. She stepped threateningly close to the taller red-head and let her complete revulsion show on her face. “What in the hell are you doing here, really? I thought this was a situation that you had washed your hands of? This is the first time Ashley has heard her father's voice directly in, how many years?” She pressed her advantage and leaned in closely when Zelena blinked. “Ashley isn’t a child you can steal from me anymore. So cut the bullshit and tell me exactly what you’re doing here?” 

The red-head sneered. “As long as Ashley is _our_ daughter. I don’t have to explain anything to you. You’re just her aunt.” She strolled from the room and Regina let her go while she seethed. 

It was easier to feel the anger roiling in her stomach than the pain lancing through her heart. 

** 

When Spencer heard the knock on the door she considered ignoring it. 

Her first thought was that it might be Emma, home from work and wanting to talk. _And what a painful, awkward talk that will be._ Part of Spencer wanted to bask in the fact that her crazy, panicked ploy had worked. Emma had chosen to stay because of Regina and Ashley; and that suited Spencer just fine. But she would never do that. _Emma’s overprotectiveness comes from a very real place. And I know she was only thinking of me. So what would happen? Emma would say sorry for basically trying to drag you out of the house by your hair but I was scared to death and so worried about you? And I’d be like yeah well you should’ve trusted me and trusted in our relationships with these women and oh, by the way, while all of this has been going on I’ve been lying and Ashley knows you killed our foster parents and that I set the fire to cover it up. Yeah no._

_Although speaking of trusting relationships_ … Spencer wasn’t too keen to answer the door if it was Ashley either. _How could she do that? Even if she had no real intentions to go through with it, she still joked and told 50 people that she would use her relationship with me to spy on Emma. She actually degraded our connection down to that. I’ve told her everything about me and my past and it’s probably going to cost me Emma._ Spencer groaned and put her homework down. _I respect that girl so much, for fighting her need to drink so quietly and bravely and just channeling her emotion in her music instead. But God sometimes she acts like a ridiculous spoiled brat._

The reason Spencer eventually did stand and make her way to the door was the chance that it could be Regina. Spencer would never forget the feeling of the older brunette’s arms around her; it was the first time she had ever felt truly _mothered_. Emma had raised her and Spencer could never have hoped for anything else. Emma was everything and did everything for her. But there was no question that Emma was just as damaged and scarred as she was. _Even more so if we’re speaking literally._ The elder blonde was more the type to tell her she was so proud her and give her a fist bump when they were both sweaty from an exhausting work-out. Spencer treasured those memories and would forever be grateful for them. 

But Regina wrapping her in a blanket and pulling her into her body and just letting her sob without any need to fix it, without any need to immediately solve the problem and without needing to even try and make her feel better right away was something else. A moment to just hold her and let her cry and let her feel safe and warm and _cherished_ in that embrace. Spencer felt like she had been hugged by a mom for the first time in her life. 

It wasn’t Regina when she swung the guest room door open; it was Ashley. Spencer would at least give the brunette credit that she looked forlorn and exhausted. “Ashley.” Spencer cocked her head to the side when she heard a wildly exaggerated and cheerful laugh from downstairs. _If that was Regina I’m saying she’s under a hex._ “Who’s here?” 

“That’s uh,” Ashley shifted awkwardly, “that’s why I was sent up to get you. Um. My…parents are here.” 

“Your…oh. Wow.” Spencer couldn’t help herself. She reached out and grabbed Ashley’s hand. “Ash are you okay?” 

The brunette let out a shuddering breath. “God, I don’t know.” She ran shaky hands through her hair and Spencer noticed the tremor seemingly wracking her whole body. “They just…showed up here. Both of them. Spence…” Ashley looked heartbroken. “I haven’t actually heard my dad’s voice let alone seen him in person in…God…years. And they’re…here. They’re downstairs drinking tea and…” now tears were welling in her brown eyes and Spencer tightened her grip on Ashley’s hand, “part of me wants to tell them to fuck right off. That they can go back to where they came from and stay the hell away from me because I’m done with them.” 

Spencer stepped closer and took Ashley’s other hand so she had a firm grip on both; she tried to sooth her with her thumbs so the brunette could stop shaking. “And the other part of you?” She questioned gently. 

Ashley’s body quaked as she tried to hold back tears. “I want to forgive them.” Ashley said it like it was a dirty secret. “I know what they’ve done…and what they did and what they did to Regina…but…” 

“Ash it’s okay. You’re allowed to want to forgive them. It’s a messy situation but they’re still something to you, and it’s normal for you to want them in your life.” 

“But they fucked up my life.” Ashley tried to seem tough and Spencer grinned at her when she saw right through it. 

“If you’re fucked up, then you’re fucked up beautifully.” Spencer teased and Ashley rolled her eyes. 

"That's not a bad song lyric, Swan." 

Spencer allowed Ashley the moment of bravado. “Ash, if they’re here for a second chance, or a third or a fourth or whatever chance they’re on, and you actually want to give it to them? No one would blame you for that. Not even Regina.” 

Ashley’s face crumpled and the first few tears leaked through. “But Regina hates them. And she should hate them after what they did to her…” 

“Then tell your parents that they need to make things right with Regina if they want things to be right with you.” 

The brunette scoffed. “They’d never do that.” 

“People who love you, truly, will be willing to do things for you Ash. If they won’t, I think that will say a lot.” 

Ashley looked up, brown eyes filled with tears, and Spencer couldn’t decide if she looked like someone had just kicked her puppy or if she _was_ the kicked puppy. “I don’t know what to do.” 

Spencer took a deep breath. “We’re going to go down there, save Regina who has been entertaining alone for far too long, and we’re going to see why your parents are here. You can decide if you want to give them another chance or not and there are no wrong answers, okay?” 

“Okay.” Ashley gave a jerky nod. Spencer dropped her hands and went to leave the room but Ashley reached out and grabbed her again quickly. “Wait a second. I’m sorry Spencer.” 

The blonde arched an eyebrow. “Sorry for…” 

“Saying I would use our relationship like that. I don’t feel that way, baby, you have to know that.” 

Spencer sighed. “Then why did you say it?” 

“Because…” Ashley shifted awkwardly. “Because I’m stupid?” 

“Ash.” Spencer couldn’t help but chuckled and Ashley smirked. 

“I was being serious. I’m really stupid.” She took a half-step closer. “I’ve never been in a serious relationship thing before Spence. I make things up as I go and sometimes the things I make up are stupid and I have to backtrack and apologize.” She stepped a little closer again and Spencer allowed it. “So I’m stupid. And I’m sorry.” 

“Okay.” 

Even Ashley looked surprised. “Okay, just like that?” 

“No, not just like that, stupid.” Spencer teased. “But, I do understand what you’re saying. I know this is new for you, and it’s new for me too. I’ve never stayed somewhere long enough to have what I have with you with anyone else. So we’re both making it up as we go along.” She shook Ashley’s hand lightly. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I was more upset that you said it, or more upset that the thought of just coming to me and asking for my help didn’t seem to cross your mind. We have trust, Ash. Even if we have nothing else, we have trust.” 

Ashley smiled adoringly. “Sometimes I forget you’re a writer.” 

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Just a tip, I know you were being charming but never remark that you forgot what my passion is.” 

“Noted.” Ashley leaned up on her toes and kissed Spencer gently. “And I’m sorry again. And in future, I will remember that we’re a team.” 

“Good.” Spencer connected their lips again and she kissed Ashley sweetly. The blonde was surprised when Ashley disconnected their hands and instead of feeling them slide around her waist or snake around her neck the brunette hooked her fingers through the belt loops on Spencer’s jeans. Spencer leaned back to give her a puzzled look when Ashley yanked Spencer forward and the blonde squealed and grabbed Ashley for balance. Ashley kept their lower bodies connected by the blonde’s jeans as she kissed Spencer again. 

The brunette took a small step backwards and pulled Spencer with her by her belt loops. When Ashley leaned against the wall beside the guest room door and pulled Spencer closer again the blonde leaned her weight into Ashley. “Okay.” Spencer mumbled around Ashley’s kiss. “That was smooth.” 

Ashley flicked her tongue against Spencer’s lip and then nipped with her teeth. “You have no idea how smooth I can be.” Spencer planted her hands on the wall on either side of Ashley’s head. 

“Seems like I’ve got you trapped now, Miss Davies.” 

The brunette’s smirk was deadly and she finally released Spencer’s belt loops only to slide her hands around slowly and then slip her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. She pulled Spencer forward again so she was pressed tight against the wall and she rhythmically squeezed the blonde’s ass. 

Spencer couldn’t help but moan lowly and then lean down to kiss Ashley deeply. She made sure with every squeeze of Ashley’s hands she rocked forward into Ashley’s pelvis. 

_Holy fuck we can’t do this right now, what the hell came over me?_

Ashley nipped Spencer’s bottom lip again and then trailed her lips along her jawline. Spencer’s hands came off the wall to rest on the sides of Ashley’s neck. 

“Ash.” 

The brunette didn’t speak until she’d licked the shell of Spencer’s ear and pulled them tight against each other again. “What, baby?” 

“Ash, we have to stop.” Her words were punctuated by a forceful squeeze of Ashley’s hands where she could actually feel the brunette’s blunt nails digging into her through her jeans. 

“I don’t think we do.” Ashley nipped her earlobe. 

“Ash.” Spencer stroked her thumbs on the side of Ashley’s neck and protested even as she rocked her hips into her girlfriend again. “Ashley.” 

“What, baby?” The brunette began licking a trail down the side of Spencer’s neck. 

“Your parents and Regina are downstairs waiting.” 

Ashley froze for one second before she slumped her weight against the blonde with a groan. “Spencer. Never, ever, mention my parents or Regina when we’re making out ever again.” 

Spencer giggled at the cute woman in her arms who had gone from seductive vixen to whingeing teenager in the span of a heartbeat. “Sorry, babe. I’ll make it up to you later.” She promised with a wink. 

_And if it also distracts you from what is sure to be a shit-show downstairs, well then, two birds and one stone and all that._

** 

Ashley had changed her mind. The breakfast this morning wasn’t the worst or the most awkward meal she’d ever sat down to; this lunch was. 

In true hostess fashion Regina had been able to whip up a lunch spread of shareables and finger foods in no time at all. Spencer had jumped at the chance to help and Ashley couldn’t help the fond smile as she watched the blonde and brunette putter about the kitchen. She had actually been so focused on watching them that her mom’s not so subtle throat clear brought her to attention. “Yeah?” She realized her mom was sitting at the table alone and she glanced around for her dad. 

“He’s just gone to get something from the car, darling.” Zelena smiled wildly. “So, I think I missed something in your introduction sweet thing, who exactly is Spencer?” 

Ashley tried not to blush under her mother’s stare. “She’s a good friend.” _Shit should I have actually said girlfriend? Spence has to know that I’m just saving her from an awkward inquisition right?_ “Her older sister Emma is the new deputy in town, and friends with Regina. So we’re all pretty close.” 

“I see. Isn’t that nice.” Zelena smiled again and Ashley narrowed her eyes at the way her mom had said the word “nice”. She didn’t comment because her dad chose that moment to slam the front door and reappear in the dining room. Ashley’s jaw dropped when he banged a large bottle of Jack Daniels down on the table. 

“Nice, isn’t it, Alice girl?” Jefferson gave a dopey smile. “Picked it up at customs. I don’t even know if you can get a bottle this big in a liquor store.” 

Ashley’s hands trembled. 

“What,” Ashley flinched when she heard Regina’s voice behind her; she knew that tone of voice well but she had only heard the women _this_ icy a few times, “the hell, is that?” Regina spoke slowly and Jefferson blinked stupidly. 

“Whiskey?” 

“What the hell is it doing in my house?” Regina hissed. Ashley dropped her eyes to the table. _Fuck, they’re going to fight because of me. This is my fault._

“Z said your house was dry.” Jefferson smirked at the bottle. “Problem solved.” 

“You-” Regina sighed deeply and Ashley was impressed that she didn’t curse him out. “It wasn’t a problem, it was a choice. Now get that _off_ my table and out of _my_ house this instant.” 

“Regina it’s okay.” Ashley’s voice was low. “They can have a drink if they want. I don’t mind.” 

“No.” Regina’s voice was firm. “We support each other in this house, we don’t intentionally make things harder on one another.” She focussed her glare once more on Jefferson. “Move it or lose it.” Jefferson blinked at her for a second but wilted in the battle of wills against the brunette. 

Zelena broke the awkward tension with a loud laugh. “You really need to lighten up, sis, you’re starting to sound like mother.” 

Ashley flicked her eyes nervously around the table. 

“Hey Regina,” Spencer’s voice chimed in sweetly and Ashley noticed that Regina lost most of her glare when she turned to face the blonde, “I’m sorry I missed what you said to do when there was five minutes left on the oven timer.” 

“I’ll come help you, dear.” Regina shot Jefferson a last glare and returned to the kitchen. 

Zelena snickered. “Better pour yourself a glass now, my love, before my darling sister liberates you of any fun.” 

Jefferson had already snapped the sealed cap off the bottle. “What about you, Alice girl?” Ashley was watching her dad pour a very generous four fingers into a glass meant for water. “Regina might not let you have any fun, but we’re not like that.” 

“Um.” _Just say no Davies. No you don’t want any. Even though you kind of do. It would make this lunch a little easier to handle wouldn’t it? But no you know everything that’s at stake. Regina would send you to rehab for sure and she might also kill your mom and dad. And Spencer would be so disappointed. So just say no. Say you don’t need it. You don’t need it. Right? Just say the words Davies._

“Ashley darling?” Zelena probed when she stayed silent. 

“Uh.” 

“Ash?” 

Ashley whipped around to see Spencer giving her a fond smile. “Yeah Spence?” 

“Could you come help us carry the food in?” 

The brunette leapt from her chair. “Yeah of course.” She helped Regina plate some food and they bought it to the dining room table together. She knew that Regina had seen the bottle placed on the floor beside Jefferson’s chair, and that the women wasn’t a fool and knew what liquid was in his glass, but Ashley spoke up and interrupted her every time it looked like Regina was going to fight about it again. 

Spencer settled herself into the seat beside Ashley and the brunette gave a grateful smile when the blonde’s hand snuck under the table to squeeze her thigh comfortingly. 

“So. Spencer, was it?” Zelena questioned as she pushed food around on her plate without eating it. 

“That’s right.” 

“Well this must be extremely exciting for you.” Zelena leaned forward. “Sitting down to a meal with famous celebrities, a lot of kids your age would kill for a chance like this.” 

“Oh, uh. Yeah, I’m sure they would.” Spencer glanced at Ashley but the brunette just shrugged. 

“So go ahead.” Zelena spread her arms wide. “Ask any question you want. Off the record though of course.” The red-head winked. 

“Oh. Okay. Um, would you please pass the deviled eggs?” Spencer deadpanned. 

Ashley and Regina both choked on their food and hid their smiles in their napkins. Zelena had frozen and it was actually Jefferson who chuckled lowly and broke the tension in his wife. 

“She’s funny, Alice girl. I like her.” 

“Yes.” Zelena’s smile was slightly more forced. “A real comedian. Wherever did you find her, again?” This time Zelena had directed the question at Spencer. 

The blonde’s smile was polite. “Friend of the family.” 

“I see.” Zelena reached for Jefferson’s glass and took a mouthful. Her husband smirked at her. 

“Get your own glass, doll.” 

“What’s yours is mine,” Zelena leaned over the table closer to him and Jefferson’s eyes dipped obviously down to her cleavage, “ain’t that right darling?” 

“You know it.” Jefferson leaned forward now too and kissed Zelena roughly; the red-head moaned and licked into his mouth. 

Both teenager's jaws dropped and Spencer dropped her gaze resolutely down to her plate. “Oh my god, mom!” Ashley snapped; she was too embarrassed to even look over at Spencer. Her parents pulled away from each other laughing. 

The silence was awkward and deafening until Regina smiled politely at both girls. “So how is school, girls? I feel like I haven’t asked today yet. How’s the makeup project going Ashley?” 

“Good.” Ashley shrugged, still a little embarrassed, but happy to have something to talk about after her parents display. “I actually had another idea for the next bunch of chapters I have to hand in. Madison was droning on about these picture collages that she does for the different style and uniforms for her dance team and the cheerleading squad. I tuned her out but I’m taking the idea of a picture mood board thing.” Ashley felt warm when she noticed both Spencer and Regina smiling fondly at her. “So…yeah. Should be good.” 

Zelena outright laughed. “Extra homework? Come now darling. Don’t you have some bigger dreams than pointless high school homework in this small, pointless town?” 

Ashley saw Regina stiffen. “Um.” _What am I supposed to say? Yeah I have dreams, of course I do._

Jefferson again was the one to break the tension. Ashley would give him more credit except he barely seemed to be following the conversation and Ashley doubted he knew he was doing it. “Tell me about your music, Alice girl?” 

_Did he just..?_ Ashley tried not to vibrate in her seat. _Oh my god he does care about my music!_ “It’s…” _C’mon Davies you’ve waited for this moment forever, you know what you want to say!_ “It’s everything to me, dad. Everything.” Ashley wished he’d look at her but he was watching the alcohol swirl in his drink as he spun it. _Fuck, try harder Davies._ “I play every day, and I make sure I keep my musical options open and I practice every genre and style so I can incorporate elements into different songs from different backgrounds.” Jefferson was nodding along so Ashley rushed to continue speaking. “And, I do lyric work daily to make sure that nothing sounds stale and is overused.” She swallowed thickly. Jefferson was still staring aimlessly into his glass. _Fuck. Why did I try? You’re so stupid Davies, he’s a professional and he’s never going to give you the time of day._

“And her music beautiful.” 

Ashley swung her gaze to look at Regina. She assumed the older brunette would be glaring down her parents but instead she found brown eyes focussed solely on her. 

“Your music is so natural and comes from such a soulful place. It’s truly an honour to hear you play, dear.” 

Ashley blinked and swallowed again before she thought she could speak. “Thank you Regi-” 

“And your opinion about music is qualified because?” Zelena laughed. “If you want real advice and opinions on music you’ll listen to your father and I.” 

The younger brunette felt a spark of anger. “But you weren’t saying anything.” 

“Maybe because you haven’t shown any real interest in music before.” Zelena shot back. 

Ashley’s jaw dropped and from the corner of her eye she saw Spencer jerk around like she’d been slapped. “Excuse me?” Ashley hated how weak her voice sounded. _How could she say that?_

“What?” Zelena actually checked her fingernails and tossed her long mane of red hair over her shoulder. “Your father already had a band by your age, and had aspirations to get out of this town. And he did it without any help. You don’t even know how much easier you have it with us as parents.” She scoffed. “And if you were really serious about your music you’d be with us in LA. Apparently you’re still happy playing around with a guitar in Storybrooke.” 

“What?” Ashley heard the exclamation in stereo as Regina hissed it along with her. 

Ashley dropped her eyes down to her plate and she jumped when Regina’s hands slapped down on the table angrily. 

“How dare you. How _dare_ you? You come into _my_ house and insult Ashley in front of me? Ashley is struggling right now and she is handling everything that life has thrown at her with grace and strength and fortitude. And she has done it by putting her _soul_ into her music. Something that has been missing from your music, Jefferson,” Regina spat his name, “since you had that pathetic garage band in high school. Ashley is ten times the musician you could ever _hope_ to be. And you will sit here and insult her at my table over my dead body.” 

Ashley wasn’t even aware she reached out for Spencer but the blonde was suddenly holding her violently shaking hand in both of her own. 

“Oh, relax, Regina.” Jefferson drawled as he drained his drink. “You need to relax.” He giggled slightly. “Something I’ve been telling you since high school if I remember correctly. And anyway that’s what we came here to tell our Alice girl.” 

“Her name is Ashley.” Regina snarled. 

“What did you come here to tell me?” Ashley practically whispered. 

“To tell you,” Zelena spoke right over Regina’s protest, “that you should come back to LA with us. Play your music for real. Get out of this piece of shit town. What do you say, darling?” 

_What do I say? All I wanted for years was for you to show up and take me away with you. For you to show up and say you wanted me. And now you’re here and this is how you do it?_ Ashley didn’t have to speak because Regina was already answering for her. 

“Not a chance in hell.” Regina stood from her seat and for some reason this seemed to greatly amuse Zelena. “Not physically stopping you by any means necessary the last time you tried to take Ashley from me is my biggest regret in this life and I will be _damned_ if you think you’re going to do it again.” 

“Ashley’s a big girl, she can decide for herself.” Zelena smiled. “And if she’s serious about her music she’ll come to LA with us.” 

“Ashley is serious about her _life_ and she doesn’t want to become some second rate washed up has-been of a musician. And I use the term musician very loosely.” 

“Ashley knows what it feels like to actually live outside this town. We showed her that there was more to life than this.” Zelena gestured around the mansion with a disdainful hand. 

“You certainly introduced Ashley to new things alright. Alcohol, drugs-” 

“Oh please, Gina, you’ve been ranting and raving about people having fun since it was me you didn’t want to leave town for something better.” 

“Better? Ashley is struggling because of you-” 

“Ashley.” The brunette actually looked up at Spencer’s whisper almost right in her ear. “You don’t have to listen to this. C’mon.” But Ashley thought she was trembling too badly to stand. 

“And this is what you’d rather?” Zelena’s voice suddenly rang clear. “If she stayed and lived a nothing life content with her little blonde girl next door and playing gigs at Granny’s?” 

Ashley’s head snapped up for the first time since the arguing started. “Don’t talk about Spencer like that.” 

“Ash, it’s fine.” Spencer whispered again and continued to stroke her hand. 

“No it isn’t fine.” 

“So,” Jefferson looked up and Ashley actually noticed that some of the glassy quality was fading from his eyes, “you don’t want to be a musician then. Is that what I’m hearing, Alice girl?” 

“Don’t you dare threaten her.” Regina snarled. 

“I’m just asking a question.” Jefferson raised his hands innocently. “If she wanted to be a real musician she’d be moving to LA, just like I did. Isn’t that right Alice?” 

Ashley was doing her best to tune the escalating argument out. 

Zelena continued laughing like the whole conversation was a joke. “Just because you want to hold her back and make sure she doesn’t do anything with her life or become anyone. Just like you.” 

“Hey, wait.” Ashley tried as she could see through Regina’s mayoral mask enough to read the hurt in her brown eyes. _Brown eyes still exactly like my own._ “That’s not right,” 

“Oh, you’ve got her trained to defend you now?” Zelena scoffed. “And here I thought you two hated each other.” 

“She isn’t a dog you can train.” Regina snapped. “And she isn’t a toy you can play with and discard, which is something you’ve never understood. She’s her own person.” 

“Guys.” Spencer’s voice was tentative. “Maybe we should stop this argument-” 

“Oh who even are you again?” Zelena finally snapped. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing here with us,” 

“She has a right to be here and is actually wanted here.” Regina instantly snarled in Spencer’s defence. “Unlike some people.” 

Ashley used the violently shaking hand that wasn’t being clasped by Spencer to pull her phone from her pocket and type out a quick text message. 

[Where r u? I think we need ur help at home.] 

** 

Emma had been entirely and singularly focused on her case. Finally, _finally_ , she had something she could use. She was a bloodhound who had finally caught the scent. A shark with blood in the water and she finally knew who her prey was. A police dog about to initiate a takedown. 

And then Ashley had texted and her world had shifted and she’d turned around and driven to the mansion without a second thought. 

Ashley’s few texts hadn’t told her a lot but she had at least clarified that it wasn’t a dire emergency and that she didn’t need to go lights and siren the whole way there; she had sped anyway because who was going to pull her over in the deputy cruiser for speeding and rolling a few stop signs? 

Over the last several hours Emma had learned that she might have a place in this world yet. That maybe she was more effected by her childhood than she wanted to admit and maybe she had been a coward in the past. She had learned that apparently what she needed was a strong, headstrong, infinitely stubborn and breathtakingly beautiful woman to show her that she didn’t always have to be strong and unbroken. That with the brunette at her back she could show weakness, she could bend without breaking. And that she might just have an equal and a partner yet. 

Emma slammed the car door as she exited the cruiser and her eyes narrowed at the extra car in the driveway. _High end, generic, public sticker. Airport rental._ She eyed it critically and marched quickly for the door. 

Yes there were times when Emma was starting to understand that she had a partner to help carry some of the weight and the burden with her. But when one of the only three people in her life texted and said they needed help? She had no problem stepping in as the strong one once again. It was so familiar it was like slipping into her favourite red leather jacket. 

She knocked as she simultaneously opened the door. Regina had told her this morning, twice, that if she and Spencer were to be staying at the mansion then they could feel welcome to come and go as they pleased. 

The blonde could hear the loud and agitated voices the second she opened the door. Her body tensed slightly more on alert; her childhood had taught her what loud raised voices meant. Her years as a bounty hunter had taught her how easily angry confrontations could escalate. 

They had clearly already heard her enter through the door because when she crossed the archway into the dining room all eyes were already focussed on her. _Lot of potential weapons in this room in silverware alone. Deescalate this, Swan._ She let her eyes roam over Spencer and Ashley first. They were holding hands under the table and Spencer had clearly shimmied her chair closer. 

Emma met the watery, pained brown eyes of Ashley and the blonde’s teeth came together with a click. _Jesus Christ she’s clearly not okay._ Her body was trembling visibly and she struggled to hide an expression of pure heartbreak. 

Spencer, on the other hand, looked livid. Her anger rolled in like a darkening sky before a thunderstorm, slow moving and crackling with intensity but impossible to stop once it reached its peak. Emma was proud that Spencer had clearly chosen to try and be Ashley’s support as opposed to losing her own temper at the dining room table. 

If Spencer was a thunderstorm, Regina was a volcano. Emma could practically feel the heat from the other woman’s rage and the blonde believed the only reason she was holding herself back was because of Spencer and Ashley’s presence in the room. 

The other two in the room were relative strangers even though Emma recognized them on sight. Suddenly finding herself in a room with two celebrities wasn’t the oddest situation she’d ever been in but it might be up there. Jefferson Davies didn’t look the same as he did on television. When he was on stage he was made up and, in Emma’s opinion, looked like he was still struggling with acid flashbacks; or possibly even just high on acid. In news footage the only time Davies ranked important enough to be featured was when a video had surfaced of him doing something illegal or embarrassing and he was more often than not either in handcuffs or covered in puke. Right now he just looked one step up from a tired hobo. Zelena West, on the other hand, looked beautiful. Unlike her younger sister, however, it didn’t look natural. Emma wouldn’t consider herself an expert in plastic surgery but she suspected that the red-head had a few times gone under the knife. She was heavily made up as well which contrasted to her husband who looked like he’d rolled out of bed in the clothes he’d slept in. 

Emma noted the alcohol in the room automatically and she assumed from Jefferson’s general demeanour that he wasn’t sober. The blonde crossed behind Regina and trailed her fingers subtly across her back before coming to stand protectively, and comfortingly, behind Spencer and Ashley’s chairs. 

“I didn’t know we were adding someone else to the party.” Zelena joked. Emma could read through her fake smile without effort. “And who might you be?” 

Spencer was the one who smirked and answered. “This is my older sister Emma. She’s the town deputy.” 

Both Zelena and Jefferson found this amusing. “Oh how typical of you, Gina,” Zelena scoffed, “calling the police on us.” 

“Not here as the cops.” Emma corrected. She didn’t want to out Ashley as the one who had texted her. “I see I missed lunch.” She casually slipped out her leather jacket and hung it on the back of Spencer’s chair. Her plaid shirt was already unbuttoned but she made a show of slipping out of it as well to reveal the tank top underneath. She knew she had Zelena’s and Jefferson’s gaze firmly on her. 

Emma knew what she looked like. She knew with her blonde hair and tight jeans and pretty face she was perceived one way if she had a jacket on; and a different way without one. She knew the people who thought tattoos were trashy. She knew the people who thought they only belonged on sailors and people in prison. She knew the people who looked at her differently when she showed her ink. They automatically saw someone tougher than the same person they saw wearing a jacket. It wasn’t right and Emma didn’t agree with it; but she used it to her advantage when she needed to. 

She knew she now had their attention. 

“Wow.” Jefferson drawled as he trailed his eyes over her. “Ain’t never been arrested by someone who looked like you honey.” 

Emma met his stare head on. “Call me honey again.” Her words were a dare and though Jefferson smirked he kept his mouth closed. 

“I’m more shocked to find you _here_.” Zelena actually did seem surprised before she turned to her sister with a patronizing smile. “Don’t things like tattoos offend your delicate sensibilities, dear sister?” 

“No.” Regina was blunt. “Casual drug use and offering alcohol to minors offends me.” 

“You offered Spencer and Ashley alcohol?” Emma questioned with an arched brow even though she knew what the answer would be. 

Jefferson laughed. “You don’t look as uptight as my dear sister-in-law but you are, aren’t you? My advice for everyone in this room is to take a load off. Just relax.” He drew the word out. “C’mon Alice girl. Are you really telling me you’d rather be stuck here than living as a musician in LA?” 

Emma noticed that Ashley didn’t, or couldn’t, answer. Her attention seemed solely locked on Spencer’s hand. _Shit she’s seriously spiraling. Say it, Regina. I need you to say it._

As if she’d read the blonde’s mind, Regina stood once more. “It’s time you leave. I’d like you out of my house. Now.” 

Zelena laughed. “Oh you heard Jefferson, relax for Christ sakes.” 

But now Emma could move and she took a threatening step forward. “You heard her. She’d like you to leave.” 

“What are you going to do? Throw us out?” 

_I fucking wish._ “No. Because I respect Ashley too much to do that. But Regina asked you to leave.” _God I wish I could tell them to get on a fucking plane and stay the fuck away from Ashley._ “I think everyone is a little tense right now and that you guys should stay in town and wait for Ashley to call you.” 

Jefferson looked bored now but Zelena looked offended. “Hang around Storybrooke until our daughter decides she’d actually like to speak us?” 

“How many times has she waited for you to call?” Emma kept her voice civil even though she suspected Spencer at least would be able to hear her struggle. “You came here to spend time with your daughter and I respect that.” _I’m suspicious of that actually. You will not be getting your hooks in Ashley with bad intentions._ “But right now clearly isn’t a good time.” 

“If you think-” Zelena’s voice lost some of her accent. 

“No.” All heads swivelled to Jefferson who was draining another drink. “Let’s go my love. Apparently Ashley needs to think about whether she wants to play music with her dad or not.” He stood up surprisingly quickly and his chair tipped over from the force and clattered on the hardwood with a bang. Emma moved over slightly to block Ashley from his eye line. He chuckled again and held out a hand for Zelena. “Let’s go doll.” 

To Emma it seemed like Zelena didn’t like it but she put her hand in her husbands and let him lead her away. The blonde didn’t take her eyes off their retreating backs until she heard the front door slam shut. Once she felt like the mansion was safe from their poisonous presence she turned her attention to her girls. 

Regina definitely looked harried. Her jaw was clenched impossibly tight and she leaned her weight on the table with hands curled into fists. _Angry and upset, definitely._ Spencer was curling in even closer to Ashley. She had the younger brunette’s hands and was barely sitting in her own chair as she tried to whisper soothingly to her girlfriend. _Worried. The anger and disgust will come later._

It only took a glance at Ashley for Emma to move to her first. She crouched down and waited for Ashley to turn her downcast gaze in her direction. When brown eyes finally met her own Emma’s heart clenched at the confusion and pain in them. _Damn those people._ “You did good, kiddo.” 

Ashley barked out a laugh that could have been a sob. “I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t tell them to leave. I couldn’t tell them how hurt I was.” Ashley’s words were soft and clearly only directed at Emma. The elder blonde knew Ashley wouldn’t want to break in front of Spencer. 

“Spence.” Emma whispered and nodded her head out of the kitchen. Spencer clearly didn’t like it but she kissed the back of Ashley’s hand and then stood to give them a minute. Emma watched her walk away and caught Regina’s eye at the last second. Regina nodded in understanding even as she curled an arm around Spencer’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Listen to me, kid. Sometimes things take time. We can’t face our demons and our past all in one go and in one sitting. They ambushed you at a very vulnerable time and of course you were overwhelmed. And you know, you did the very best thing you could have.” 

“I didn’t do anything.” 

“You did.” Emma’s words were vehement. “You called for help. You knew you were struggling and you called me. That was the right thing to do. Okay?” 

Ashley nodded and managed a bit of a smirk that made her look more like herself. “I’m glad you came charging in to save the day.” 

“Always, kid.” Emma promised. 

And she meant it. 

** 

“So.” Spencer looked at the brunette girl splayed out across her bed and figured it would be best to just dive in. “That whole thing was something we should probably talk about, baby. If you’re ready and up for it?” 

Ashley scoffed. “Which part? My neglectful abusive parents showing up out of the blue and trying to take me away again? Or how they made out in front of us, or how I thought your sister was going to have to fight my dad?” 

The blonde smirked a little. “It wouldn’t have been much of a fight.” 

“True.” Ashley finally tucked a pillow under her head so she could look up at the blonde who was the pacing the floor of her bedroom. 

“And any part of that.” Spencer gave her an earnest look. “I just want to help you, however I can. Whether you want to talk about it, or if you want me to distract you.” 

Ashley gave her Davies lecherous grin. “This distraction you speak of..?” 

“Don’t push it.” 

“Fine. I don’t know. I guess I just don’t know what to say. Everything like…exploded all at once. I mean…I know what I went through as a kid. I knew that. But hearing about how Regina was supposed to be my mom…it made it worse. They didn’t just fuck up my childhood, they _stole_ my childhood.” Ashley gestured around the room. “I was supposed to have this. Not tour buses and rest stop bathrooms and vending machine chips for dinner.” 

“You’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling Ashley. It makes complete sense to be confused.” Spencer hesitated because she was a little nervous about what her girlfriend might tell her. “Would you…want to go to LA with them?” 

“Well Regina’s my legal guardian now so this time she could actually stop them.” 

“That wasn’t what I asked.” 

Ashley sighed and Spencer felt a little ominous when the brunette tapped the bed beside her and gestured for her to have a seat with her. Spencer did lay down but she kept a little bit of space between them. “I’m…confused.” Ashley admitted. _Okay Swan, don’t be selfish. Ashley is struggling and her world just got rocked. Don’t be worried about losing her._

“It would be amazing if you weren’t confused, babe.” Spencer tried to sound reassuring. She reached for Ashley’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s confusing you.” 

“I…I mean on one hand…all I want is to be a musician, Spence.” 

“I know that. I love that about you.” 

Ashley managed a grin and pull their joined hands up so she could rub her cheek on the back of Spencer’s hand. “And as much as I may not like it…my dad could probably make that happen. It’s my dream and everything I want and he could definitely open some doors” 

Spencer kept her voice even. “I’m sure he could. And on the other hand?” 

“On the other hand…I don’t know.” She sat up abruptly and Spencer pulled her hand away when Ashley flailed. “You know what, I do know. Fuck them! That’s what.” The blonde noticed Ashley’s hands shaking again and she reached out to touch her shoulder but Ashley jumped off the bed so she could pace. “Literally what the actual fuck? They think they can waltz in here and just act like this isn’t the first time I’ve seen them in years? The first time in years my dad has even spoken to me and acknowledged my presence? Not a fucking chance! They’re up to something, I bet.” Spencer watched her pace back and forth across the room with her gestures getting wilder. “We should tell Emma. We should tell Emma that they’re up to something. Do you think they’re up to something?” 

The blonde looked faintly like a deer in headlights. “I think that…” _Shit what do I say? Don’t sway her either way, Swan. Not while she’s emotional._ “I think it’ll take several conversations with your parents, babe.” Spencer tried. “They could be up to something, or,” she said it louder when Ashley clearly went to interrupt, “maybe they don’t have ulterior motives and they just don’t know how to speak to you. It’s too soon to say what they’re doing.” 

“They have no fucking right.” Ashley spat. Spencer’s eyebrows arched at the venom in her voice. “I’m trying so fucking hard, Spence. So hard. And they waltz in here stoned and with booze when they know I’m fucking struggling and act like they didn’t treat me like shit?” Ashley deflated and Spencer sat up a little alarmed. “I’m surprised you even want to be with me.” 

Spencer blinked. “Excuse me?” 

“God, you know I grew up with those people! I’m already an alcoholic. And a musician!” Ashley’s face twisted. “What if I’m just like them?” 

The blonde was up off the bed in a second and she gripped Ashley by the shoulders. “You are nothing like them. Okay? Nothing. You can be the amazing, wonderful, devious and charming person that you are, and a musician, and not turn out like your dad. And we will not be like them as a couple. We won’t treat people like they’re beneath us and we won’t be malicious and rude. We won’t lie and be bad people. Okay?” Spencer rubbed at Ashley’s shoulders soothingly. “And why would I want to be with you? Why would you want to be with an orphan pyromaniac?” Spencer smirked. “Because we fit, and we connect. Okay? Now, let’s maybe get something for your hands to do, do you want to go to your music room?” Spencer took Ashley’s trembling hands in her own and tried to comfort her some more but Ashley had frozen. 

“I lied to you.” 

“What?” Spencer was startled. _Lied to me? About what?_

“I lied to you.” Ashley’s hands shook worse. “About the lighter.” 

“What?” 

“The lighter you gave me.” 

“I know the lighter.” Spencer tried to slow Ashley down. “What did you lie about?” 

“I didn’t lose it.” Ashley whispered. “I know exactly where it is. I’d kind of forgotten and then Madison said something about the lighter and Aiden commented and I realized that I lied to you. I didn’t lose it I know where it is. But I was just starting to figure things out and I didn’t want to have it anymore.” 

“Okay. So, that’s good, isn’t it? I’m not mad you lied about that Ashley, it was an incredibly difficult time and everything was imploding. Why don’t you go get it? It looks like you could do something with your hands right now.” _Anything to take her mind off this. I haven’t seen her shake this bad since her first day sober._

“I don’t have it.” 

“Okay?” Spencer tried to keep up with a spiraling Ashley. 

“But I’ll go get it.” Ashley nodded but the blonde wasn’t sure if it was even to her or not. “Yeah. I’m going to do that.” 

Spencer grabbed the brunette’s arm when she went to walk out of the bedroom. “Wait, Ash. Hold on. Where is it?” 

“Under the bleachers. I dropped it there. No one would have seen it or touched it or anything so I’m sure it’s still there.” 

“Ash. That’s sweet but you don’t have to go all the way to the park just to see if it’s still there. We can check the next time we’re there or,” 

“No. No I should go now. It’s fine.” 

“Okay.” _This doesn’t sound good._ “Well, I’ll go with you? We can maybe have a nice stroll like a cheesy rom-com?” 

“You know, I think I just want to have a minute by myself. It’s totally fine. I’ll just go walk and get it and come back and by then I’ll have cleared my head and shit. It’s fine.” Ashley quickly leaned forward to peck her on the cheek and was leaving the room basically all in the same breath. 

“Yeah okay.” Spencer muttered to the empty room. _She’s not a child and you can’t treat her like one, Swan. I know she really seemed like she was spiraling but you can’t force your presence on her when she doesn’t want it. You have to trust her._

_God I hope I don’t regret letting her walk out of this room._

** 

Why did you do that Davies? What were you thinking? You weren’t thinking. That’s the point. 

Ashley put her head down and jammed her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she walked. _Spencer was trying to be there for you and you pushed her away. Why would you do that?_ She could feel the tremble in her hands and she curled her fingers into fists. _You are not going to turn out like your dad. You are not him, you’re not going to be him._

The brunette cut down an alley that led through the back of Granny’s and she was startled out of her angry musing when she practically bumped into Ruby. “Jesus fuck!” 

Ruby gripped Ashley’s arm to help her keep her balance as she startled and chuckled a little. “You must have been deep in thought Davies, we did say hello to you.” 

Ashley cleared her throat and tried to shake off her embarrassment. She noticed Dorothy leaning up against the wall and smirking slightly at her. “Sorry.” She awkwardly cleared her throat again. _C’mon Davies, get your shit together._ She forced herself to smirk. “Didn’t mean to interrupt this little behind the dumpster date you got going.” 

Both older girls rolled their eyes and Ruby slapped her arm without serious force. “Yeah yeah, you know I get practically no break from this place.” Her eyebrows suddenly arched and she snapped her fingers. “And always being here means I see and hear everything. Heard your parents were in town.” 

The younger brunette fought to keep her smirk in place. “Yeah, they showed up earlier.” 

“That must be pretty exciting, huh?” Ruby tried. “Did they have any crazy famous people stories to tell?” 

“Do your parents still actually tour?” Dorothy asked as she leaned down to pat the dog resting quietly at her ankles. 

“Yeah, yeah they definitely do.” _I mean the only people that still go to the concerts are older drug addict has-beens, just like him._ “And they’ve always got cool stories. Parties in LA and whatnot.” 

Dorothy hummed but Ruby, who had been watching Ashley’s face, narrowed her eyes a little in concern. _Fuck, Davies, c’mon. You’ve been faking it your whole life, you gotta fake it better than that._

“Hey girl you want something to drink, or something to eat maybe? My break is basically over I can grab you something real quick?” 

“No, no I’m fine. Finish your chat with Dorothy before you go back to the starving gossips of Storybrooke for the rest of the night.” Ashley was already backing away and she everted her eyes because she knew Ruby was still watching her. It wasn’t until the very end of the alley, back on Main Street, that Ashley glanced back. Ruby and Dorothy were hugging and the author pulled away to gently tuck one of Ruby’s red streaks back behind her ear. Ruby blushed and ducked down to pet Toto and then the waitress watched her friend walk away completely out of sight before ducking in the back door of Granny’s. 

_Spencer would do that. Spencer would break up her day and always be in a freaking back alley at a certain time just to see me for twenty minutes. She would be here right now walking beside you, not because she cares about getting her lighter back even though its actually super important and you lost it, but because she cares about you. God you fucked this up._ Her hands were still shaking as she jaywalked across Main and headed for the park. 

_“Wouldn’t it be nice to walk together_  
_I wouldn’t even mind about the weather_  
_We could talk shop, harmonize a song_  
_Wouldn’t it be nice to walk along?”_

Ashley cut across the grass field and ignored everyone who was out and about along the way. _You were embarrassed. You were so clearly jonesing for a drink and you didn’t want her to see you that way._

_“You’ll point out the plants and birds and trees_  
_Laugh and smile while completely at ease_  
_I’ll be watching all the people go to and fro_  
_I’ll be holding your hand and never let it go”_

Ashley saw a few people playing at the court and she kept her head down as she slunk under the bleachers. _Okay, still be here lighter. You were what helped Spence’s impulse control and were actually helping mine. You know what? Let’s blame Madison for this too. It’s her fault I dropped you. And it would make both Spence and I happy to have you again._

_“We’ll walk as far and wide as we can_  
_We don’t need no map or no plan_  
_We’ll climb to the top to view the world from above_  
_I’ll carve our initials in a trunk like teenagers in love”_

Ashley groaned as she actually had to get down on her hands and knees and feel around. _I was sitting right there and dropped it right here, now where the fuck is that lighter?_ Ashley started feeling around a little more frantically. 

_“And when we get hungry we’ll stop to eat_  
_Gotta think of our stomachs and rest our feet_  
_If we get thirsty we’ll have a drink or two_  
_In a mountain top bar with a mountain top view”_

Ashley froze where she was crouched underneath the bleacher. _No we won’t. We won’t go to a bar and get a drink or two because I’m a fucking alcoholic who can’t even handle her fucked up parents coming to town._ Ashley gave up on the lighter and shimmied her way out from under the bleacher. _Fuck!_ Ashley’s whole body was shaking when she pulled herself up onto the bleacher to sit. _The whole fucking town thinks me just like them. Even Ruby and Dorothy. What was the first thing they said? Any crazy and wild party stories to tell? They think I’m going to be a has been addict who’s barely a musician just like him. And Spencer! Spencer has been dealing with her pyro thing for how many years! You can barely go a week without alcohol! You’re fucked. You’re already fucked up._

The brunette pulled her phone from her pocket. _Dial Spencer. You know she’ll come running. Or call Emma. Emma already saved you once today, she’ll come save you again. She said always._

Ashley clenched her eyes shut. _Call Regina. Regina loves you. Really loves you. Loves you like a daughter. She’ll come. She will._

But Ashley made a different call. 

The phone rang in her ear only once before it was answered. “Hey. This is unexpected.” 

“Come meet me at the park.” Ashley spoke without preamble. “And I need you to bring me something.” 

** 

“Regina?” 

The brunette heard the quiet murmur from behind her and she smiled faintly at Emma’s thoughtfulness. She hummed to let the blonde know her presence was noted and seconds later she felt hands slide gently around her waist. “Is there anything I can do?” 

Now Regina’s smile was a little more pronounced. “Anything you can do?” She turned from where she’d been gazing out the window so she could see Emma but she stayed within the circle of her arms. “You already came here to save the day, I’m not sure what more you could do.” Regina cocked an eyebrow. “What made you show up here, by the way? Not that I’m not grateful.” 

“Ashley texted me. She was struggling and thought it best if her parents left.” 

The brunette’s heart clenched at the thought of the pain Ashley must have been feeling to make her reach out and text Emma for help. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on Emma’s shoulder. “I did everything so wrong.” 

“No you didn’t.” Emma’s hands were rubbing her back gently. “You were shocked and angry. Anyone would have been. You did everything you could, and I know how much it burned you to seem polite and nice to those people. But you did it for Ashley’s sake. She knows that too.” 

“Is Ashley still upstairs with Spencer?” 

“I think so.” Emma’s arms tightened minutely. “Thank you for checking on Spencer.” 

“Thank you for taking care of Ashley.” Regina whispered back. She turned her head so she could press her lips against the side of Emma’s neck. “You’re always taking care of everything.” _Oh my god, wait._ Regina pulled back abruptly and Emma actually startled. 

“What?” 

“What about Spunketti? What happened this morning? Do you-” 

“Regina, wait, calm down. Yes, I talked to Spunk, and he…he told me everything, Regina. I finally know what’s going on in this town. I was just starting to make a plan when Ashley texted and I dropped everything to rush over here.” 

_She knows. She knows who the drug dealer really is. She was right._ “And…” 

Emma’s jaw tightened. “Regina…” 

“Wait. No.” Regina brought her hands up so she could stroke Emma’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Don’t tell me.” _Oh god I can see it in her eyes. This is going to be bad._

“I think it might be easier if you hear it-” 

“It might be easier coming from you, yes.” Regina agreed. “But it wouldn’t be right. If this is going to be as bad as I’m getting the feeling it is, then everything needs to be done properly. I will take no chances about something happening now or later down the line that means this case is going to get thrown out. Everything needs to be done completely by the book. I’ll find out when it’s appropriate for the mayor to know, not when you tell your girlfriend.” 

Emma smirked. “My girlfriend?” 

Regina arched an eyebrow and gave a deadpanned look. “Problem with that, Deputy?” 

“None at all, Madam Mayor.” 

The brunette pulled Emma closer and kissed her sweetly. She stroked Emma’s cheeks and trailed her fingers along the blonde’s jawline as she kissed her gently over and over again. 

Emma hummed when Regina finally pulled away to lean her forehead on Emma’s chest. “You’re so soft.” 

The brunette laughed. “Oh how some people would be surprised to hear you say that. I just…it’s going to get bad. I just know it. Some part of me does want you on your knees and begging for me,” Regina grinned against Emma’s shirt when she felt the blonde’s hands tighten reflexively, “but something tells me this isn’t the moment for it.” Regina kissed her gently again and just barely flicked her tongue teasingly along Emma’s lip when she pulled away. “The moment is coming though.” 

“Promise?” 

_God she must really be worried._ “Promise.” Regina sealed the words with a kiss. “Now, Deputy,” she forced herself to back up out of the comfort and circle of Emma’s arms, “go do your job.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Emma tried to smirk but Regina could see her genuine worry. 

“I expect you home for dinner.” 

“I expect you and Spence to make something good then.” Emma tossed over her shoulder as she finally left. 

Regina snickered as she watched the blonde leave the room. _You’ll pay for that one, Swan._ Her cell phone rang and the brief calm that had come over her in Emma’s presence faded away. She glanced at the caller I.D and answered instantly. “Kathryn, is everything okay? Has Town Council made another move?” 

“Town..? Oh, no. I don’t know anything new about that. I was calling about the other thing.” 

“Other thing?” _If I don’t stop getting left behind in my own town, I swear._

“Regina. Come on, I know they’re in town.” 

“Oh.” _That other thing._ “Yes, they are.” 

“When did Jefferson and Zelena get in?” Kathryn did sound a little nosy but Regina knew the gossip she gave Kathryn never went farther than her husband. 

“Today, I assume. It’s not like they stay under the radar. They ambushed Ashley and I at the mansion. I somehow ended up serving lunch while they insulted me.” 

Kathryn snorted. “God those two. They’re the same people they were in high school.” 

The brunette rolled her eyes. “And they weren’t good people in high school, so that isn’t saying much. The Storybrooke gossip chain was on point with this one.” 

“You know Davies, they make a stir. I saw them when I was leaving Granny’s. Figured it meant your day had turned even worse.” 

“Indeed.” 

“Full bitch session with plenty of wine soon?” 

That drew an actual smile from the mayor. _What would I do without my only friend?_ “I will bring the extra wine.” 

“Well that’s a deal. Your taste is more expensive than mine.” 

Regina was about to answer but the ding from her phone let her know someone else was calling her. Her teeth came together when she saw the call was from Granny’s. “Good Lord, Kathryn, I had better let you go. Granny’s is calling me.” 

The blonde laughed. “How many times has Eugenia called you to deal with them disturbing her place over the years?” 

“Too many. I’ll call you later, Kathryn.” Regina quickly flipped over to her other line. “Mayor Mills.” She answered in her most professional voice. 

“Uh, hi, Mayor Mills.” 

_Interesting. Not the Lucas I was expecting._ “Ms. Lucas. What can I do for you?” Regina assumed the reason Ruby was calling her still had something to do with her sister and her lack wit husband. 

“Um. I wasn’t really sure if I should call or not. Jefferson Davies and Zelena West are here, they just rented a room from us.” 

“I’m aware.” _I wasn’t actually. Surprised they’re not shacking up at his place in the woods._

“Right. And they’re…well…they’re kind of loud.” 

Regina’s face scrunched up in disgust and she almost had to swallow down bile. “If you have a noise complaint from your establishment, Ms. Lucas, it is more appropriate to call the Sheriff.” 

“What? Oh my god, ew. No. I meant, like, not subtle. They’re loud and not very subtle. I overheard them talking, is what I’m trying to say.” 

The waitress had peaked Regina’s interest. “Heard them discussing what?” 

“Well. What they’re doing in Storybrooke, actually. The real reason. And what they have planned for Ashley.” 

Regina’s hand tightened on her cell phone to the point she almost worried about cracking the screen. “Tell me. Now.” 

** 

Emma eyed the residence critically. Of everywhere she thought she might end up during the course of this investigation, this place hadn’t even made the list. When Spunk had whispered the truth to her through the bars of his prison cell, Emma had wanted to call him a liar. She had wanted to say he was mistaken or that he was playing with her. 

She couldn’t. The fear in his eyes and his demeanour was too real; and genuine fear is the hardest emotion to fake. 

When she accepted the kid’s words as true it had made her doubt herself. _Should I have come to this conclusion on my own? Should I already have known? Why didn’t I guess this? Why wasn’t this even an option?_

She had wanted to march directly here and demand answers. She had wanted to rush in head first and solve everything so that she could go back to Regina and tell her that she’d helped make the town safe again. 

But she didn’t rush in. If years of living with _her_ had taught her anything it was that it was best to plan and be patient. Besides, part of Emma hadn’t wanted to be the one to tell Regina. She thought she probably should, and that’s why she’d offered, but she hadn’t _wanted_ to. She didn’t want to be the one to watch Regina’s jaw drop and see the denial spread across her features. Didn’t want to be the one to see Regina’s heart break. 

So she had stayed at the station. Graham and Albert Spencer had come to officially charge Spunk with everything and the boy, as instructed, had stayed silent and said nothing. She needed to stay calm and she needed to plan. _Of course, nowhere in that plan did I account for two washed up drug addicts and winners of the worst parent award being at the mansion._ So Emma had put the plan aside for just about the only thing she would ever let distract her in that moment; the blonde and the two brunettes who needed her help. 

Emma swallowed and flexed her hands. Now there was nothing stopping her. She had done everything she could have possibly have done and all there was left was the confrontation. A deep part of her she usually tried to ignore, one that had been held dormant for a while, was actually looking forward to it. 

She pulled the police cruiser, that she’d originally parked down the block and out of eye sight from the residence, forward until she was parked across the driveway of the house. She exited the car quickly knowing that she was on the clock now. On the short walk up the driveway she bounced on the balls of her feet, clad in running shoes she’d laced tight, like a prize fighter getting ready for a boxing match. Her hands opened and flexed repeatedly and she rotated both shoulders. _Breathe, in and out. Slow and easy. You’re doing this for the town. The town and the kids and Regina._

The blonde gave the house one last critical once over. _Not your first time, Swan. Relax. You got this, easy._ She tried to push any lingering thoughts of Regina from her mind when she reached up to give a sharp knock on the door. 

Emma had only been waiting for a moment, on high alert, when the front door opened easily. 

“Emma.” The voice was surprised but generally cheerful. Emma eyed the other blonde seriously. 

“Mrs. Knight.” 

“Kathryn, Emma, don’t be silly.” Kathryn seemed to take notice of Emma for once actually standing in the brown uniform shirt with Storybrooke Police Department writing across the chest and her gold badge pinned to her waistband. “Is something wrong, Emma?” Kathryn looked concerned now. 

“Just have to ask you a few questions, Mrs. Knight.” 

“Questions? About what?” 

“A few different things. First, is your husband home?” Emma asked calmly. 

“Yes, Fred’s just watching television.” Kathryn looked over her shoulder to call for her husband. “Fred.” Emma’s eye caught movement behind Kathryn when Frederick Knight stepped out of the hallway, clearly curious about who was at the door. Emma’s body tensed in preparation when he looked passed his wife and realized who was standing there. Time seemed to slow for Emma and she watched the gym teacher study her just as closely as she was studying him. 

He turned and bolted. 

Emma propelled herself forward, grabbing Kathryn by the biceps and carefully moving her aside as quickly as she could without bowling her over, and took off like a shot after the fleeing man. Emma heard the sound of patio doors slamming open and she turned the corner of the hallway blindly and raced for the back of the house. 

The doors led to the backyard and Emma could see Frederick running easily across the lawn. Emma sprinted through the kitchen as she catalogued the head start the man had on her. Frederick reached the back fence and turned his shoulder to hit the simple, wooden gate and barrel through it. He slammed into the gate but it didn’t give way and he groaned at the instant blinding pain in his shoulder; Emma had chicken strapped the gate shut twenty minutes earlier when she’d patrolled the perimeter of the house. 

Emma tore across the backward and closed the distance between them just as Frederick hauled himself over the gate for the other side. Without breaking stride Emma flipped her legs over it easily. She could just make out the sound of Kathryn screaming behind her. 

The gym teacher had regained some of his speed but Emma was gaining on him easily now. They were running through a small field heading for the forest and Frederick was without shoes. He looked back once to see how close she was; she was close enough to see the panic in his eyes. 

Emma forced her breathing to stay calm and collected; she could hear his harsh gasps from several feet ahead as Emma closed the distance. She wasn’t sprinting completely all-out with everything she had because she knew that Frederick was reaching the end of his rope. 

When the man suddenly dug his heels in and turned Emma was prepared for him. He’d dropped low in a crouch and outstretched his arms to grab for her. Emma kept her forward momentum and brought her front leg up to drive her heel into the centre of his broad chest. His arms tried to grab for her leg but the force of the blow drove the air from his lungs and knocked him backwards. He fell with a gasp and Emma danced out of reach of his hands. _I know you’re the wrestling coach you dumb piece of shit. I knew you’d try to pin me down. Okay, Spencer, time to do things your way._ Emma bounced on the balls of her feet and kept herself moving. The thought of Spencer dancing away from her in their sparring room almost made a smile quirk at her lips. _Almost._

Frederick managed to roll onto his side and he pushed himself back to his hands and knees. “There’s been some kind of a mistake.” 

Emma chuckled without any humour. “You should have tried that before you bolted. Where did you even think you were going to go?” 

He stood back to his full height and Emma watched him crouch down into his wrestling stance again. “I don’t want to do this.” 

“Then get down on the ground, hands behind your head.” Emma said calmly. He stepped forward quickly and swiped for the back of her leg but she danced out of range easily. She noticed his hands shaking and the sweat pouring off his form even though they’d only run for a minute. _Get in his head, Swan._ “I didn’t think it would be you.” Emma shook her head. She kept her eyes carefully on him; on his feet and hips for any movement and his hands for any strike. “I tried to think of anyone who would be peddling drugs through this town and I never even came up with your name as a guess.” 

“Shut the hell up.” He lunged for her again and, instead of meeting him head-on like a wrestler would, she danced away again. 

“What did it start as, Frederick? Handing out uppers and steroids to the high school boys on your sports teams? Realizing that suddenly the teams got good when you were doping them?” Emma had a hard time picturing the man before her, face twisted in a sneer and shaking in fear, as Kathryn’s gym teacher husband. “You took advantage of your position as a teacher and manipulated children.” Emma snarled. “I know that’s how you got Spunk to be your errand boy, starting back when he was on your basketball team. What was it, found a bit of weed in his locker and you’ve been blackmailing him with it for years? How many kids in town did you con into doing drugs, huh? Should I get another statement from Spunketti? How about Aiden Dennison and Peter Gold? How about Mark Planter? How many, Knight?” 

“Fuck you. What do you know about this town, you’ve only been here for five minutes and you’ll be gone just as fast. Regina worries about that you know.” He tried to taunt her. “She tells Kathryn everything. How she knows you’re a flight risk and that you’re going to pack your bags. She’s going to end things with you first just to make things easier. What could a transient piece of trash like you possibly have to give someone like Regina?” 

Emma kept her breathing even. The feeling of Regina’s fingers sliding over her skin and tracing her tattoos, lovingly feeling the ridge of every scar, of her fingers carding gently through her hair while Emma rested her forehead against her stomach, kept her grounded. _Regina has your back. Regina is with you._

Frederick charged for her again and Emma side stepped the attack easily. She opened her hips and swung through the movement, bringing her back leg around in a vicious roundhouse that connected solidly with the side of the man’s head. Frederick collapsed and Emma was on him instantly. She drove her knee into his ribs and flipped him onto his stomach to grab for his wrists. She desperately wanted to hit him several more times while he struggled underneath her but the last thing she needed was any credence to a later police brutality defence. 

Emma pulled the handcuffs from her back pocket and somewhat awkwardly cinched them around Frederick’s wrists. _This shit is so much easier with chicken strap._ Emma exhaled deeply when she had him completely restrained. “Thank you for making this even easier so I can arrest you right now for evading. Okay, let’s go.” She hauled him to his feet and noticed his eyes fixed on a point behind her; on Kathryn. 

The deputy wasn’t sure if Kathryn had run around the entire house to the other gate or if she’d scaled the back fence like they had. “Mrs. Knight.” 

“What is going on?” The principal wasn’t addressing Emma. 

Frederick gave her a pleading look. “Kat, this is ridiculous. There’s been some kind of mistake obviously. Call Regina, okay? Just call Regina. And call Graham. Shouldn’t he be here right now if this was serious?” 

Kathryn was looking at him like he was a stranger. “What are you being arrested for?” 

“I don’t know! She hasn’t even told me, she hasn’t even read me my rights!” 

Emma couldn’t help but scoff. “This isn’t a television show, you don’t get read your rights until you’re in custody.” The blonde forced herself to a more serious and sympathetic expression when she looked at Kathryn. “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Knight, but we need to go. You’re more than welcome to meet us at the police station and it might be best for everyone if you do actually call Regina.” 

Kathryn was nodding blankly. “Right. Okay. Right.” 

“Kathryn!” Frederick’s voice was getting desperate. 

Emma shoved him forward a step. “Move.” She lowered her voice for the other blonde. “Kathryn. Listen to me. You just need to go back to the house and then call Regina, okay? Can you do that?” 

“Yeah. Yes, of course.” She still seemed like she was somewhat in a daze and Emma wished she could comfort her more but she had her own job to do. 

“Okay. Go call Regina right now.” Emma watched her walk away and then grabbed Frederick roughly by the elbow. “Let’s go.” She walked him around the house so that they didn’t have to worry about the fence or the chicken strapped gate. Emma’s teeth were clenched and though she kept her body carefully on alert in case Frederick tried something she found herself inwardly seething. _How did I not come up with this? How did I not think to check everyone who worked at the high school with the kids? She opened the backseat of the car and had to refrain from forcefully shoving Frederick in. Son of a bitch. How long has he been manipulating them and selling drugs to the students in this town?_

Emma slammed the door shut with a sense of finality and she shook out her tense hands. She noticed two stunned citizens on the sidewalk pointing who had clearly seen her drag a handcuffed Frederick Knight from his home. She quickly jumped into the driver’s seat and started her cruiser. “Did you ever even feel bad?” Emma couldn’t help but ask the man sulking in her backseat. “Doping your players? Making them feel guilty so they take dangerous drugs just to play better for the team?” Emma pulled quickly onto Main Street and headed for the police station. “How about when it wasn’t just performance enhancing? How about when you made sure the entire high school had access to extremely addicting and deadly drugs? Did you consider this at all?” Frederick didn’t answer. “God you make me sick.” Emma muttered. 

“You won’t take me to the police station.” Frederick said suddenly. Emma caught his grin in the rear-view mirror and tried not to show that it made her instantly suspicious. 

“I won’t?” She could practically see the police station already. 

“No. I know what you’ve been doing with Regina and her little family.” Emma’s hands tightened on the wheel. “You take me to the police station and I can make things very difficult for Ashley.” 

Emma turned the wheel and made a hard right. 


	18. When All Is Failing

Ashley was in a state of calm. Her head was tilted back and she stayed still as she soaked up the sun on her face. The breeze was cool so she didn’t feel overheated and her fingers idly tapped out a rhythm on the boards of the bleachers. _This is good. Calm now, got music._ A wry grin crossed her features. _I’m not without my girl and I could probably end my sex drought as well. Yup, pretty good Davies._

“I don’t even want to know where your mind just went, Ash.” 

Ashley cracked an eye open to glare at Aiden. “If you had a smoking hot blonde with an incredible body you knew actually cared about you, I wouldn’t blame you for daydreaming, bro. So don’t harsh my mellow. This is the mellowest I’ve felt in ages.” 

“Yeah yeah. Rub it in some more why don’t you. I don’t need you to tell me that Spencer is a catch.”

“Damn straight.” She opened her other eye to glare at him. “But let’s not forget she’s taken. I’ve punched people for less.”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “I’m aware. Usually I’m the one dragging your ass out of the fray.” He pulled himself up from the side of the bleacher and settled beside her with his elbows on his knees. “Okay, I looked under there twice, still didn’t find anything. Maybe if you told me what you lost under there?”

“Just a thing.” Ashley shrugged. “You’d know it if you saw it. You didn’t see anything?”

“Nope. Some beer cans, beer bottles and beer cap, but that’s about it. Unless you had a lucky beer cap you never told me about?”

“Afraid not.” Ashley huffed a sigh. _Alright, so the lighter is really gone. That’s okay. I’ll just do something nice for Spencer. I’ll get her a new Zippo. And get me one as well. Maybe even do some cheesy shit and get them engraved or matching or some shit._ “Aid, girls like cheesy, romantic, matching stuff, right?”

Aiden huffed out a breath. “Like matching shirts or something? I dunno. How the hell would I know? The only two girls in my life are you and Madison.”

The brunette eyed Aiden cautiously. “You alright, man?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Okay.” Ashley let it go because she wasn’t one to pry. Aiden knew he could come to her when he wanted to. “You call Mads, by the way?”

“Yeah. Still no answer, I don’t know where she is. Doing captain stuff for one of her team’s maybe?”

“Maybe.” Ashley finally stood with a groan. “Alright, I better get back.” _Spencer is probably already wondering what the hell is taking me so long._ “Thanks for showing up, man.”

“Course.” Aiden nodded easily. “Thanks for not still being mad that we got Spence mad at you.”

Ashley held out her hand for a playful fistbump. “I think we can both agree that was definitely Madison’s fault. And it’s all good now.”

“Good. You and Spence are good together.”

The brunette gave a rare genuine smile that crinkled up her nose. “I think so too. And seriously, thanks again for showing up with no notice and helping with that little situation.”

“No problem. I don’t judge.” Aiden shrugged. 

“I know. And I love you for it, dude.” Ashley made her words a little less serious by punching him on the shoulder as she hopped down the bleacher. “If you get through to Madison tell her she’s a bitch for ignoring us.”

“I’m not saying that.” Aiden replied just like Ashley knew he would. “You feeling alright?” He called as she playfully “air-pianoed” to the song running through her head. 

“Never better, Aid. Now if you don’t mind, I have an aforementioned hot blonde to see.” _This is good, Davies. Turn this day around. It might have been shit and started shitty, but we’re going to make something of it now. Hmm, might be some song lyrics in there somewhere. First order of business, definitely my hot blonde. Spencer deserves something nice after dealing with me spiraling earlier. And who better to do something nice for her than her charming and wonderful girlfriend? No one, damn straight. Or not so straight, as it were._

Ashley used her feet to stamp on the sidewalk in a simple drum beat and she could hear a song coming together in her head easily. 

_“Ready to rock and ready to roll_  
 _Slinging ‘em in_   
_Knocking ‘em out_  
 _Ain’t no one can stop me now_  
 _I’m winning ‘em all, wow”_

The brunette wished she hadn’t walked to the park earlier because she’d love to be in her Porsche now; top down, music cranked and speeding down Main Street. _Just hurry up and get to Spencer, Davies. And you can show her that you’re not a mess and that your little spiral is no longer an issue._

**

_Is it ridiculous to be doing homework right now?_ Spencer paused with her pencil above her notebook. _Is this me being a type-A control freak right now?_

The blonde had felt odd standing in Ashley’s bedroom with the brunette no longer there so she’d retreated to the guestroom that Regina had told her to think of as her own. It was mostly generically decorated, in the way that the upper class always seem to do to their guestrooms, but it was infinitely larger than some of the bedrooms Spencer had occupied over the years. She had paced her own bedroom until she realized that Ashley hadn’t taken her car and would likely be a while even if she’d walked straight to the park and come back to the mansion. So instead of worrying Spencer had pulled out her homework. _Might as well be doing something. Wasting time never helped anyone._

But several math worksheets later and Ashley still hadn’t returned. _Do I text her?_ Spencer immediately answered her own question in the negative. _No. The last thing I want her to think is that I don’t trust her. And I do. Trust her. But people stumble. God I know that better than anyone. The day before I set our neighbours garage on fire I hadn’t thought about fire at all. I had thought that things were easy and I had everything under control and the next thing I knew I was sneaking into their garage to set the recycling bin on fire._

Spencer took a few deep breaths and packed away her homework and pulled out her writing notebooks. _Is it ridiculous to want to write a love story right now?_ Spencer idly doodled in the margins while she considered it. _I don’t want to write something “tropey”. But God Ashley Davies was meant to written about._ She started trying out basic plotlines across the page. _Teenage musician with parents who are classically trained musicians and think that anything other than classical is noise? No, that’s obvious._ Spencer let her thoughts drift to Ashley again. _Teenage musician with partying rockstar parents and she only wants to play classical? Well, that’s a little more interesting._

“You know,” 

Spencer’s gaze snapped up and found Ashley herself leaning in the doorway to her bedroom.

“You writing was like the first thing I noticed about you.”

The blonde blushed a little. “I thought it was my ass?”

But Ashley didn’t take the bait. “You had your head down and you were writing in your notebook. So focussed and intense. Able to ignore me so easily. Your eyes were always moving across the page as if your hand couldn’t keep up. You’d bite your bottom lip,” the brunette groaned a little when Spencer’s teeth scraped over her bottom lip automatically, “just like that and I knew you were concentrating so hard.” Ashley took a few steps further into the room and shut the door behind her. 

Spencer was almost stunned by the change in Ashley. She didn’t look like the girl who had left the mansion an hour ago. She looked like the Ashley Davies she had met when she first arrived in Storybrooke; the Ashley Davies who was quick with a smirk and a flirt and on top of the world. “What’s gotten into you, babe?”

The blonde watched that same Davies smirk cross the brunette’s beautiful features. “Okay. Trying very hard not to give the dirty answer here.” Ashley sat down on the bed and Spencer moved her books aside and sat up beside her. The brunette pulled her phone out, struggled for a moment to get the broken screen to work, and finally pulled up her music library. Spencer watched her scroll for a moment until she put on a soft playlist and tossed the phone down. “I couldn’t find your lighter babe.” Ashley admitted instead of answering the question. “I thought it would still be right under the bleachers where I dropped it, but it wasn’t there.”

“That’s okay, Ash.” Spencer answered immediately. 

“I just wanted to do something for you.” Ashley reached out and took Spencer’s hand. “But then I thought maybe it’s a sign. And maybe we could get two new lighters for each other. Or something different, you know, like a shot glass.” Spencer chuckled and rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to come back and say thank you.”

“For what?” Spencer was idly stroking the back of Ashley’s hands. She knew just how talented those hands were and what they could do. 

“For hanging in there with me. For being better in a crisis than me. For sticking with me.”

“Ash.” Spencer breathed with a fond smile. “You don’t have to thank me for those things. We’re a team now, alright? In all the ways that matter. We trust and ask each other for help. And we hang in there and become the strong one when the other is struggling with their impulse control.” Spencer’s smile turned into a smirk. “Someday it will be me hiding in the bedroom and lighting my homework on fire and it’ll be your turn to be the rock, alright?”

“Deal.” Ashley leaned in and kissed Spencer sweetly. “But if you’re burning homework, make sure you take mine with it, alright?”

“Deal.” 

Ashley pretended she was subtly shuffling closer on the bed and Spencer couldn’t help but smile at her. _A girl this gorgeous has no right to be this adorable._ “What are you doing there, Ash?”

“Just getting closer to my girl.” Ashley smirked.

Spencer arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Getting closer for what?” _Okay, this is the last thing I expected when Ashley left the mansion earlier._ “You gonna put some moves on?” Spencer teased. 

Ashley sighed dramatically. “Spence, if you draw attention to the fact I’m putting the moves on, it doesn’t work as well.”

“Sorry, my bad.” Spencer tried to stop herself from laughing. “Go ahead, I’ll act surprised.”

The brunette groaned. “No, I’ve gotta try something else now.” She reached behind her to where her phone was resting on the bed. 

“What are you doing?” Spencer couldn’t stop smiling now.

“Using what I have to my advantage.” Ashley started another song and Spencer melted when she recognized the opening notes. 

Ashley slid off the bed so she was standing in front of Spencer and the blonde’s heart skipped a beat when her girlfriend started softly singing. 

_“Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one-night stand_   
_But I still need love 'cause I'm just a girl_   
_These nights never seem to go to plan_   
_I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand”_

Spencer couldn’t take her eyes off Ashley even as she stalked a little closer. The brunette brought her hands to Spencer’s knees, slid them up her thighs and back again while singing directly to her. 

_“Oh, won't you stay with me_   
_'Cause you're all I need_   
_This is real, it's clear to see_   
_And, darling, stay with me”_

Spencer lost the ability to breathe when she realized Ashley was changing the lyrics as she sang. _Oh my god, Ashley._ The brunette grabbed her by the back of her knees and bodily dragged her forward so she was right on the edge of the bed and Ashley was situated between her thighs. 

_“Why am I so emotional_   
_This is not a good look, gain some self-control_   
_But deep down I know how this works_   
_So will you lay with me so it doesn't hurt”_

Ashley slowly lifted herself so that she was straddled across Spencer’s lap. The blonde’s hands gripped her waist, slid up to her ribs and then back down until she was grabbing her ass and holding the brunette secure on her lap. 

_“Oh, won't you stay with me_  
 _'Cause you're all I need_  
 _This is real, it's clear to see_  
 _And, darling, stay with me”_

It was easy for Spencer to grip Ashley’s hips and then flip her sideways so that the blonde was laying on top of her on the bed. Ashley’s singing broke off when she was smiling too wide to talk anymore. “Problem Spence?” Ashley teased in a husky voice.

Spencer didn’t even bother answering; she leaned down and kissed Ashley fiercely. The brunette tugged on her arms so Spencer laid her weight down on Ashley completely. 

“Is this your way of telling me you like to be on top?” Ashley moaned when Spencer moved her lips down to the brunette’s throat.

Spencer smiled against her skin. “Maybe this is my way of telling you to shut that beautiful mouth.” She used her teeth to nip Ashley’s skin and the brunette groaned. Spencer loved the sound and scraped her teeth along Ashley’s neck. 

“Spence. Spence.” Ashley gasped and the blonde pulled herself up so she was astride the brunette’s hips and Ashley was splayed out beneath her. 

“Yes, Ashley?” Spencer teased. 

“I, I can’t believe I’m about to say this.” Ashley rolled her eyes and her hands were running up and down Spencer’s thighs. “But maybe we should still be taking things…you know, slow?”

The blonde was about to speak when she registered that the song had changed.

_“If you’re looking for a girl that'll treat you right_  
 _If you looking for her in the day time in the light_  
 _You might be the type if I play my cards right_  
 _I'll find out by the end of the night”_

Spencer picked up the beat and started moving her hips lightly to the rhythm. “Is that why, Ash? You think I’m a promiscuous girl?” 

_“You expect me to just let you hit it_  
 _But will you still respect me if you get it?”_

Ashley’s eyes followed Spencer’s hips and upper body as she danced and gyrated on her. “No, definitely not.” Ashley licked her lips. “It’s me, actually. I’m not…easy.”

Spencer leaned forward and gave Ashley a tantalizing view down her shirt. “That’s not what I heard.”

The brunette chuckled. “I meant to be with. Not easy to be with. Because…you know, I was a little bit slutty.” Ashley couldn’t help but move her hips along with Spencer so that they grinded together. 

_“Promiscuous girl_   
_You're teasing me_   
_You know what I want_   
_And I got what you need”_

“I know your past Ashley. And all the pieces of it that make up you.” She leaned down and kissed Ashley sweetly. “Including the fact that you used to be a little bit slutty.” She teased her before kissing her again. “And you’re right. We should take things slow.” The blonde leaned up, crossed her arms and then pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Ashley’s jaw dropped as she took in Spencer’s chest, now only covered by a dark blue bra, and her abdominal muscles that shifted and flexed while she rotated her hips. 

“Oh fuck me sideways.” Ashley slid her hands over Spencer’s now bared skin. 

“But slow doesn’t mean “nothing”, right?”

“Fucking right.” Ashley yanked Spencer down and kissed her passionately; Spencer moaned when fingernails played over the muscles in her stomach and lips teased along her throat. “Oh my god, this is even better than the first pick me up I had today.” Ashley muttered as her tongue traced Spencer’s ear.

Spencer’s hips stilled. _First pick me up? What the hell does that mean? Oh my god, what exactly did Ashley do when she left the mansion?_

**

Regina was running on autopilot. She knew that Emma had worried that she would be feeling too much or taking the news too hard, and Regina didn’t doubt that time would come, but for now she was feeling nothing.

Had it been anyone but Emma she would have raged. She’d have fought for her only friend’s husband against the entire town. She would have taken up arms to fight for his freedom and his reputation and his name. She would have crossed any line and threatened whoever she needed to threaten to make this disappear. 

But this was Emma. 

Emma who had nearly been in tears thinking of what Regina’s reaction would be. Emma who had felt the need to make sure she would still be welcome in the mansion after she had done what she needed to do. Emma who thought that perhaps her invite to dinner later would be rescinded. 

Emma who was heartbroken but clearly telling the truth. 

Kathryn had been in a similar state when Regina had answered her cell phone to a call from her best friend for the second time that day. Even speaking to her friend, whose voice was raw from earlier crying and nearly numb, Regina hadn’t put anything together. She had thought accident. She had thought tragedy. She had been mentally preparing herself to hear something awful in regards to someone in the hospital. Even Kathryn’s whispered declaration of Emma’s name hadn’t put things together for Regina. The mayor was still thinking accident. Perhaps a car crash. Something Emma would have been first on scene at. Regina’s heart had been breaking for her friend. 

When she had finally heard her friend whisper the word _arrested_ Regina’s world had stopped. Of course Emma would be worried. Of course she knew that Regina’s world would be rocked. Her best friend’s husband. A man she had hosted for countless dinners. The man she trusted with an entire school full of children. A man she trusted after school hours with countless boys from different teams.

The man she trusted to babysit her son. 

Regina had left the mansion without a word and gone immediately to Kathryn’s house. Her thoughts were logical and concise. _I wonder how the arrest went down? Did Kathryn have to witness it? Did he go quietly? Was Emma in danger?_ She felt nothing in response to those questions. 

Kathryn’s front door was open and Regina hurried forward the second she had parked the Benz. It was impossible not to notice the half-dozen Storybrooke citizens watching the house and pretending that they weren’t gossiping. _So at least someone saw Emma arrest him._

She let herself into Kathryn’s house and found her in the kitchen, staring at a wine bottle that wasn’t even opened. “Kathryn.” Regina’s voice was calm and Kathryn barely acknowledged her presence. 

“Frederick ran.” She said to the wine bottle. 

“Pardon?” Regina sat her purse down and approached slowly; like one would to a wounded animal. 

“Frederick ran. Emma came to the door to ask questions and he ran.”

_He’s guilty. He’s really guilty._ “What did Emma say, Kathryn?”

“Nothing. Or maybe something.” 

“Kathryn.” _Should I open that bottle? Couldn’t hurt._ Regina knew where the corkscrew was located and she helped herself to Kathryn’s kitchen drawers. When she picked up the bottle to open it Kathryn’s eyes followed the movement. 

“I had gotten up to get wine.”

“When?”

“Before.” Kathryn watched Regina’s hands expertly uncork the bottle and Kathryn actually moved to get two glasses. “We were just watching TV. I was working. I asked if he wanted a glass and I got up to get a bottle when Emma knocked on the door.”

“I’m so sorry, Kathryn.” Regina murmured and poured her a generous glass. 

“He actually ran. I watched him run away.”

“What did Emma say?” Regina tried again. 

“I don’t even know what she arrested him for.” Kathryn remarked almost calmly and took a large gulp from her glass. “She said to call you. That we should go to the station.”

“Kathryn,” Regina hesitated. She was a little grateful she felt dead inside because otherwise she would be breaking at the thought of hurting her friend. “I know what Emma arrested him for.”

“Oh?”

“You know we’ve been looking for the drug dealer that was supposedly responsible for all the drugs in this town. Emma finally got Calvin Spunketti to talk.”

“And he named Frederick? This has to be a mistake. It can’t be true.” Kathryn was reciting the words almost blandly. She blinked slowly as she took another gulp of her wine. 

“Why don’t we go to the station and speak to him and Emma? Kathryn?”

“Yeah. Okay.” The blonde finished her wine in one swallow and Regina had to practically manually direct her to the door. There were a few more people gawking outside when Regina walked Kathryn to her Benz but she glared harshly at them all and everyone scattered. 

The drive to the police station was too short. Neither Regina nor Kathryn had adequate time to prepare. When they walked through the door they heard one of the cell doors slam shut and Kathryn flinched. 

There were only three people in the police station. Calvin Spunketti was still in his cell, though he was crouched down and hiding in the farthest corner of the room. Emma had her back to them. Regina arched an eyebrow at her appropriate uniform but she was more taken by the furious and disgusted glint in her eye when she heard them coming and turned around. Regina couldn’t take her eyes off Emma. The blonde softened almost instantly at the sight of the two women. Her jaw was tight and her fists were clenched and Regina could almost see the palpable weight pushing down on Emma’s shoulders. She was standing tall and strong right now but it was clearly taking its toll.

Kathryn had eyes for no one but her husband. Frederick was barefoot, in comfortable lounge clothes and he looked dishevelled and a little rumpled. His skin was coated in a sheen of sweat and his pallor looked grey. He no longer looked like the kind, carefree and somewhat goofy man that Regina had known her entire life. He looked sick and scared. 

“Frederick?”

His head snapped up and he lunged for the bars. “Kathryn! Oh thank God, you brought Regina. Regina!” The mayor forced her eyes to move over to the high school gym teacher. “You have to get me out of here! Tell her to let me go.”

“I think not.” Regina’s voice was like ice. “You were arrested for a reason.” 

“Regina.” Emma stepped forward and lowered her voice. 

“Don’t ask if I’m alright.” Regina snapped. _Shit, no. Don’t take it out on Emma._ But the blonde’s expression had already shuttered closed. 

“I can hold him for a while because he fled and resisted. I can charge with those if I have to. It gives me some time to go to their house and find the drugs.”

“Understood.” Regina agreed. “Go. He’s fine here now and I’ll wait with Kathryn.”

“Got it.” Emma turned away and gently touched Kathryn by the elbow. Regina knew she was getting permission to search the house from one of the homeowners but she was back to staring down the teacher. 

_Does he look really scared of Emma?_ “Part of me doesn’t even want to look at you right now.” Regina hissed. “But the other part doesn’t want to forget how you look right now.”

“Regina,” he tried again.

The mayor stepped up to the bars threateningly. “You have dinner at my house.” She snarled. “Teach children at the school. Coach and education children.” She actually bared her teeth. “You babysit my son.”

“Regina?” Kathryn’s voice was choked. The brunette turned and saw the two blondes were finished talking. Emma turned to leave with a nod and Regina caught her eye.

“I’ll see you for that appointment later, deputy?” Regina asked, stepping closer so neither Knight could hear them.

Emma gave the barest hint of a smile. “See you then, Madam Mayor.”

“Emma.” _How do I apologize?_

“It’s okay.” Emma whispered. “This is…a lot. It’s okay. Um, I should tell you something though.”

“What?”

“I know you said everything had to be perfectly by the book…”

“And?” _Please tell me this situation didn’t get any worse?_

“It was…until he…made a passing threat about Ashley.” Regina’s blood froze in her veins. “Just a comment. But I pulled over and impressed upon him how he was never to do anything like that again.”

“What did you do?” Regina both didn’t want to hear and desperately wanted to know.

“Nothing permanent.” Emma’s look had turned dark and feral. _She’s basically a mother. One should never be surprised by the lengths someone will go to in order to protect their kids._ “I simply reminded him that however tough he thought he was, he was still a high school gym teacher in small town Maine.” 

Regina decided she didn’t want to know. “Okay. Just…” _I can’t believe I’m saying this_ , “go search the house and end this.”

“Yes ma’am.” Emma nodded and strode from the police station like she was on a mission.

“Where is she going?” Frederick asked from his cell. “What’s going on here?”

“She said you’ve been selling drugs.” Kathryn whispered. “She’s going to search the house.”

“What?” Frederick grabbed for the bars on his cell. “Kathryn, why would you do that? Don’t you trust me?”

Regina stepped forward ready to rip the man apart for such a cowardly and passive-aggressive tactic but Kathryn had only blinked. 

“If there weren’t drugs in our house I don’t think you’d have said that.” The blonde whispered. “I asked you if there was anything going on. I asked and you said no.” Kathryn’s teeth clenched and Regina thought maybe some of her emotion was seeping back in. “I told Emma to check the shed and your workshop. That if it was anywhere else in the house that I’d have noticed.” She scoffed. “Oh my god, you’ve made me that woman. The, oh my god how did I not know who I was married to or what he was doing, woman.” She blinked away tears. “Tell me the truth right now. Did you do this?”

“Kathryn, you need to trust me,”

“Well I don’t.” She stepped forward and Frederick shrank back even though there were bars between them. “I thought you were having an affair and you made me think I was crazy. So tell me the truth. Were you doing this? Were you using my school to sell drugs to my students? Were you doping the boys on your team? Tell me, Fred. Tell me!”

“Kathryn.” Regina took her by the arm. “This clearly isn’t helping. We should go. We can talk to him once we know more.” The blonde nodded with tears streaming down her cheeks and Regina kept a grip on her arm in case she buckled. “Okay, come on.”

“I just want to go home.”

“You can’t go home, Emma is there. Come to the mansion.” Regina spoke amidst calls from Frederick as she led the blonde out of the police station. She locked the inner door once they were through and she watched to see if Kathryn could keep it together.

“No. No.” Kathryn shook her head. “If I can’t go home I want to go to the school. I have to do something, Regina. I have to make sure that the kids are alright.” Kathryn covered her mouth with her hand and Regina’s heart broke. _Damnit. Starting to feel again._ Her teeth clenched and she tried to keep her rage at bay until she had taken care of Kathryn. 

“Okay. Okay, dear. I’ll take you to the school if that’s what you want.”

_I don’t think I can handle one more second of drama in this town. Not one more damn thing._

**

Emma walked through the front door of the mansion knowing she was very late for dinner and facing an already devastated and hurt girlfriend. She wasn’t entirely sure she’d have been able to eat anyway, because she’d been nauseous since speaking to Spunk, but she had definitely been looking forward to having dinner and reconnecting with Regina and the girls. 

She wiped off her boots carefully before putting them in the closet and hung up her leather jacket before going to find Regina. The brunette was sitting quietly at the dining room table nursing a glass of wine. Emma didn't dare ask where she'd gotten the bottle when the mansion was dry for Ashley. “Your plate is the oven.” Regina intoned quietly at Emma’s approach.

The blonde figured it was better to appease the mayor and she changed direction to get her plate from the kitchen. “Did Spencer help?”

“She did. She was a wonderful sous chef. Even Ashley assisted a little bit.”

“Did they seem in good spirits?” Emma brought the plate and took the chair across from Regina. 

“Surprisingly so, actually. I didn’t want to say anything and jinx it after the night and day they’d had.”

“Fair.” Emma cautiously took a first bite of the vegetable stir-fry on her plate and found it delicious. _Go figure, Regina can make even the veggies taste good. I wonder what it would have been like having a mother like that?_

“Tell me.” Regina ordered after a moment of silence. “You’re late, so you obviously found something.”

_She’s not a child, she’s stronger than you. She wants you to play this straight._ “We did. In the backyard shed, not even that well-hidden. He’s looking at felonies. He had basically a drug store variety of things. Amphetamines, cocaine, steroids, pills of every kind and drugs from every Schedule. On multiple counts of Class B and C, he’s probably looking at 30 years.” Emma shrugged. “But, he’s a high school gym teacher with a previously clean record. He’ll get offered a deal so they can get whoever his supplier is.” She took another bite of stir-fry and made sure her mouth was clear before speaking again. “It’s how these things work. He’s small fish.”

_Emma pulled the car over on the side road and hit the brakes forcefully. “You want to threaten Ashley?” Emma turned in her seat so she could see the man in the backseat. He looked desperate and Emma faced him easily. “Here’s how this is going to go. You want to call me a transient piece of garbage? Fine. I have lived everywhere and done just about everything. And in case you forgot you dumb piece of shit, I was a bounty hunter for all of it. Do you really think high school gym teacher ranks anywhere near high on my criminal list? You managed to outsmart and manipulate children.” Emma snarled. “Congratulations. You’re small fish.” She leaned even closer. “Here’s how this is going to work. You have two options. Option one. You take back that little threat about Ashley and I never hear her name even whispered from your mouth again. I turn this car around and drive you to the police station where we wait for your wife to show up. Option two. You try and threaten someone I care about again. I put the car back in gear and continue driving, I drive passed the town line, and I drive down the road for a ways before pulling over. I force you from the car, force you to walk a mile into the woods where I take this unregistered, undocumented gun and shoot you in the head.” Emma tilted her head like she was thinking. “Granted, that’s if you’ve been cooperative. If you’ve been a dick along the journey I give you a gut shot and watch while you die slow. I leave the gun behind because I’m not stupid and I drive back into town. I tell everyone that you escaped and ran for it.” Emma leaned even closer and her voice dropped lower. “There are no cameras in Storybrooke. And the road leading out of town is very long and very secluded. No one would even know I had left and there would be no proof of anything. People would talk about you for a while. Actually, this is Storybrooke so they’d probably gossip for a long time. But no one would ever look for you. No one would ever know to look for you. No one would ever find your body. And no one would ever try to accuse me of shooting the local gym teacher in the head. So, small fish. What’ll it be? Where am I driving to? The police station or the town line?”_

“Emma?”

Emma snapped her head up. “Sorry. I was just, uh, just saying that after I found all the drugs I called Graham who called Albert Spencer. Then it became your typical red-tape horror show. I’m sure you’ll get a call first thing in the morning.”

“Indeed.” Regina sighed and finally looked up the blonde. “Emma, I’m,”

“Seriously, it’s okay.” Emma interrupted her again as she finished off her plate. “I would be way more concerned if you weren’t a little on edge today. Lesser women would have broken you know.”

Emma watched the slightly pleased, slightly embarrassed blush come over Regina. “What did I tell you about interrupting me?” Regina snarked. Emma grinned; she could see through Regina’s sass easily. 

“Sorry.”

“You’re forgiven, dear.” Regina stood to take Emma’s empty plate but the blonde waved her off to do it herself. 

“I’m glad.” Emma smiled as she took her time doing the dishes. “Should um, should we talk? You know, about everything that’s happened?” She couldn’t see Regina’s grin but she knew it was there.

“Emma Swan being the paragon for sticking around and communicating instead of running?”

“I know, I know.” Emma leaned against the counter and faced Regina. _Fuck me sideways she’s beautiful._ “I’m just uh…you know, making an effort.” Regina’s smile turned soft and she held out a hand; Emma took it instantly with a questioning eyebrow. 

“You know what, I don’t think we do need to verbally communicate, dear.” Regina started to lead Emma out of the kitchen by the hand and Emma’s jaw dropped and her breath caught in her throat. _Does that mean what I think it means even when it’s coming from a classy woman?_ Emma blushed when she simply made a noise with her throat but couldn’t respond and Regina chuckled. “Come along, dear.” Emma was happy to let Regina lead the way upstairs and she watched the woman’s swinging hips and the way her pencil skirt hugged her ass. _Oh my God I might not survive this._

They didn’t talk on the walk to Regina’s master bedroom and Emma had difficulty taking her eyes off of Regina. Everything else paled in comparison. Emma stood in the centre of the room while Regina shut and locked her bedroom door behind them. “Regina.”

The brunette’s smile was coy. “Kiss me.” Emma was in front of her in a blink and she cupped the back of Regina’s neck gently and kissed her sweetly. Regina’s lips were addicting and the blonde flicked her tongue playfully along the brunette’s upper lip. Emma startled when she felt Regina’s hands first on her stomach and then sliding up inside her button up shirt with the intention of taking it off. 

“Regina,” Emma pulled away slightly, “wait.”

“No.” Regina’s voice was soft. “I want to see them. I want to see you.” Elegant fingers made their way up to Emma’s shoulders where she pushed the material off until it hit the floor; colourful artwork was displayed with every inch the shirt slid off until two full sleeves were revealed, once again, to Regina’s eyes. 

Except Regina wasn’t looking. Emma was still staring directly into brown eyes that were looking at her in a way no one else ever had. “Kiss me.” Emma asked. 

Regina kissed her first chastely, and then deeper, and Emma moaned when Regina’s hands found her bare shoulders. This time Regina didn’t flinch or pull away; she only kissed the blonde harder and Emma’s own hands found Regina’s hips. 

Emma was acutely aware that Regina was touching her bare skin over ink and therefore her scars; but Regina wasn’t exploring. She was only using the blonde’s shoulders for balance, seemingly unperturbed by the marred flesh underneath her hands, and kissing her with everything she had. The blonde groaned and started walking the brunette backwards until she had Regina pressed tightly against the wall once again. 

Regina’s low chuckle sent a pulse directly to Emma’s groin. “This your favourite position dear?” 

Emma’s lips found Regina’s throat. “I think any position with you will be my favourite.” She nipped her skin and Regina’s hands were suddenly tugging at her tank top. 

“Off. Off now.” Emma leaned back just enough for Regina to pull her shirt over her head. “Really, Ms. Swan?”

“What?” Emma panted as she leaned in to kiss as much of Regina’s chest as the blouse she was wearing would allow. 

“Must you look like you’re sculpted from marble for Christ sakes?”

The blonde chuckled and it turned into a moan when fingernails scraped down her abdominal muscles. “Again.”

“Oh? You like this?” Regina dug in her nails in a little harder. Emma bit the soft skin behind Regina’s ear in response and the brunette turned her head to give Emma more room. 

Emma’s hands tightened on Regina’s hips. “Gina. Please, can I?” Emma didn’t even know if she was being coherent but Regina nodded. The blonde was embarrassed that her hands were shaking a little when she found the zipper on Regina’s pencil skirt and began to pull it down. The material became looser and Emma gently guided it down the brunette’s hips until it fell and Regina kicked it off. The blonde leaned away only enough to bring her hands to the buttons of Regina’s blouse. _Don’t rip the shirt off, don’t rip the shirt off._ The material parted and Emma honesty gasped. “Must you look like an actual fucking Goddess? Oh my god.”

Regina’s slim thong and lacy bra were a matching jet black and her white blouse hung open and exposing her torso. _She’s the most beautiful, enticing, and sexy creature I’ve ever seen in my life._ “Oh my god.” The brunette had just begun to smirk at the lust filled and awed expression on Emma’s face when the blonde slammed her into the wall again and kissed her forcefully. Her tongue teased Regina’s and Emma’s hands slid down until she was grabbing the brunette’s ass; when Regina gasped Emma used her grip to lift Regina off the floor. The brunette moaned and automatically wrapped her legs around Emma’s back; the blonde groaned at the feeling of the woman’s high heeled shoes digging into her back and her heat pressed against her bare stomach. 

Now Regina’s hands were running up and down Emma’s arms and the blonde felt a surge of arousal when she realized it wasn’t even the marred skin that Regina was feeling for; it was the blonde’s muscles as she held her aloft easily. “Bed.” Regina ordered. “Now.”

Emma squeezed Regina’s ass as she walked over to the brunette’s luxurious bed. Regina’s grip tightened and she clearly expected to be thrown down but instead Emma turned and sat so that the brunette was straddled in her lap. The blonde panted as the brunette lavished her throat with teeth and tongue. _Don’t embarrass yourself, Swan. Whatever you do don’t embarrass yourself._

“You’re thinking too loud.” Regina whispered into Emma’s ear before she bit it. “Just relax.” Emma followed the order and tipped herself backwards to lay on her back and Regina followed. “Good girl.” She husked and Emma moaned. Regina reached for the button and zipper on Emma’s jeans and the blonde found herself almost a little embarrassed by how wet Regina would find her. “You have no idea,” Regina whispered against skin as she trailed her lips down Emma’s chest and to her stomach, “how many times,” her hands finished undoing Emma’s pants and her hands slipped inside, “I’ve imagined peeling these skin tight jeans off you.” Emma could do nothing but groan. “May I?”

“Please.” When Emma lifted her hips to assist Regina in stripping her she realized how unusual this situation was. She was always on top. She was always the one in control. It was the only way she could keep a woman’s hands off her; off her scars.

But she didn’t have to do that with Regina.

“Please, Gina.” 

Regina threw Emma’s jeans carelessly once they were off, kissed Emma’s calves while taking off her socks, and then seductively looked up at the blonde from between her legs. “Up the bed, darling.”

Emma instantly shimmied farther up the bed and her breath hitched when Regina stood and slowly, teasingly, let her unbuttoned blouse fall to the floor. “Are you trying to kill me, woman?”

“Kill you?” Regina smirked. “Oh no. No, I need you.” Regina placed one knee up on the bed. “You know Ms. Swan, there is going to be a night,” she crawled forward and Emma widened her legs, “where you’re going to fuck me.”

“Oh my god.”

“I’m going to get you to show off your muscles, and hold me against the wall, and _fuck me_ until I can’t even see. There is going to be a night where I do very dirty, nasty, _delicious_ , things to you.”

“R-Regina.”

The brunette crawled over Emma’s body and leaned down to press a gentle kiss against her sternum; right over her heart. 

“But tonight isn’t that night, darling.” She whispered. “Tonight,” she pressed her lips against Emma’s heart again and tugged the skin gently with her teeth. She sucked a mark into her skin like she was trying to see the heart beating beneath her. “Tonight is about showing you what this can be.” 

“Re-Regina.” Emma almost blindly reached out and threaded her fingers into brunette locks so that she could pull Regina to her lips and kiss her with abandon. The blonde was so lost in the feel of Regina against her, of Regina’s lips against her own, of the taste of her in her mouth, she missed Regina’s hands moving until her bra was suddenly loose and being pulled from her body. 

Regina kneeled up a little so she could get a full look at the blonde beneath her and Emma tried not to squirm. She knew that she was toned and that her body was sculpted; but her torso revealed a few more scars not covered by ink and Regina’s hands were lightly trailing down her arms and feeling most of the marred flesh herself. 

“Emma.” Regina kissed her sweetly. _Of course she can tell you’re nervous, Swan. Get it together._ “Emma, you are glorious.” Regina’s lips moved across her jawline and down her neck. Emma’s hands found Regina’s waist and hips and she gripped her just shy of hard. She expected Regina to continue kissing down her chest. She expected to feel hands grab for her chest and maybe lips to wrap around her nipples. 

Instead she gasped in surprise and almost sat up off the bed when she felt lips gently press against the top of her shoulder. 

“Regina, wait.”

“No.” The brunette kissed the mottled flesh of the burn scar and then dragged her lips and tongue gently along the curve of the snake. “No more waiting. I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.” The words were said pressed against flesh as Regina continued her exploration. 

“Oh my god. Oh, god.” Emma was starting to rock her hips as Regina continued to explore her. Her hands and mouth were everywhere, trailing over every scar, every swirl of ink, every line of muscle. 

“Regina. Regina, please.” Emma felt the wide smile against her skin where lips were pressed against a raised ridge of scar tissue; Regina actually nipped the scar with her teeth and Emma groaned. 

“Yes, Ms. Swan?”

“Regina, please. I need you.” Emma panted. She fingers dug into Regina’s hips and the brunette ground down lightly into the blonde’s pelvis.

“Where do you need me?” Regina teased as she tried to suck a visible mark in the inky blackness of the batcave in the crook of Emma’s arm. 

“Regina.” Now it was a growl. She held Regina tightly and coiled her muscles; she knew she could flip the smaller woman easily. Regina must have sensed her intentions because she ground herself down again and Emma’s eyes slammed shut and her back arched instead. “Re…gina.”

The brunette’s lips finally left Emma’s arms and she teased and licked her way down Emma’s chest instead. Emma gasped when Regina flicked her tongue against her nipple and then sucked it into her mouth. The brunette kept her on edge, always moving and never staying too long in one place on her body; Regina would gently tug her nipple with her teeth and then lick her way across her chest and bite a mark into her flesh before circling her other nipple with her tongue. The entire time Regina held herself over Emma’s body her free hand would be on Emma’s arms; moving in aimless circles, tracing scars and ink or digging her nails in every time the blonde gasped or moaned. 

Regina slid lower, taking her time to lavish attention on Emma’s stomach muscles, and the blonde was steadily losing control. _Oh my god. She’s barely touched me. Oh god. Hold it together Swan, don’t you dare fucking embarrass yourself._ The brunette’s teeth sank sharply into Emma’s hip bone and she made a guttural noise in the back of her throat. “That’s better,” Regina crooned as she slipped her fingers inside Emma’s boy-shorts to pull them down toned legs, “no going silent on me Em-ma. I want to hear you.”

Emma lifted her hips again so Regina could strip her of her underwear and when the blonde felt lips teasing their way back up her legs she froze completely. _Shit! She hasn’t noticed it yet but she’s going to. Fuck! She cannot see that scar._ “Regina.” Emma tried to keep her thoughts in order even while her hips were still rocking uncontrollably and she knew Regina could now tell exactly how wet she was. “Re-gina. Gina. I want you up here. Please.” Teeth nipped at her thigh and she moaned again. _Fuck, Swan, c’mon._ “Gina. I want to kiss you. And see you. Please.” 

The brunette seemed unable to deny Emma when she was vulnerable underneath her and she was kissing the blondes lips in seconds. Emma’s back arched and she tilted her face away from the kiss when Regina slid two fingers deep inside her without warning and her jaw dropped in a silent scream. 

“Let me hear you, darling.” Regina whispered against her throat. “You’re so wet. So beautiful.” Emma groaned when Regina started slowly thrusting her fingers.

“Faster.” Emma panted. “Faster.”

“Mmm.” Regina nipped her throat and then licked her with a smirk. “Not yet, darling.” The brunette started curling her fingers every time she pulled out and Emma rocked her hips harder trying to thrust down onto her. 

“You’re trying…to kill me.” Emma gasped when Regina scissored her fingers so that Emma could feel the stretch deep inside.

“Not quite.” Regina wrapped her lips around Emma’s nipple again and tugged it with her teeth. One of Emma’s hands were fisted in the sheets and the other wound into Regina’s hair. She tried not to yank but she was losing control of her body as she writhed underneath the brunette. 

Emma had never felt like this. She had never felt out of control, she had never let someone so thoroughly top her, she had never felt someone all over her as well as inside her. Emma sank her teeth into her bottom lip and both her hands clenched when Regina curled her fingers again and again. _Oh fuck. Oh my god._ “Please. Gina.”

“Are you close, my dear?” Regina kissed Emma’s sternum again. “Are you going to come for me?”

_Oh my god, oh my god._ “Re-re…gina.” Emma forced her eyes open and tugged gently on Regina’s hair so that she was looking up directly into brown eyes. Normally, that look would terrify Emma. Seeing so much emotion, seeing straight through into a woman’s soul would be enough to send Emma running. 

But this was Regina; and she didn’t run anymore. 

“Stay up here.” Emma kissed Regina’s lips over and over again. “Stay with me.”

Regina slid another finger into Emma and the blonde groaned. “I’m not going anywhere.” The brunette started thrusting a little harder, reaching _deep_ , and Emma’s hips rocked against her hand. “So beautiful.” Regina used her thumb to start circling Emma’s clit and the blonde’s head snapped back. 

“Pl-ease. Please.” The words were drawn out in a moan and Regina began scissoring her fingers as much as she could as she curled them and Emma’s body began to shake. _Oh fuck oh fuck._ “Pl-please.”

The brunette laid her entire length along Emma so she had a free hand and she grabbed Emma’s arm. This time she wasn’t playfully tracing ink or adoringly feeling all the scars; she had sunk her nails into Emma’s skin and was feeling the flexed muscle. 

_Oh god, oh god, ohgodohgod._ “Gi…na.” 

“You’re safe.” Regina’s voice was breathy and she kissed every bit of Emma’s skin she could reach. “You’re safe. Come for me, darling. Come for me.” Regina gently bit Emma’s nipple and sucked it into her mouth and all of Emma’s muscles went tight. The blonde gasped but her scream was caught in her throat as her back arched and her grip on Regina became painful. Emma shuddered over and over as Regina continued gently moving her fingers inside and a guttural moan finally escaped her when she collapsed. 

_Oh my fucking god. Oh my fuck. That was…fuck me sideways._ Emma blinked her eyes open and found Regina looking down at her and smiling in a way she’d never seen before. 

“Hi.” _Oh my god Swan, that’s what you go with? You fucking loser. Woman worships your body you don’t just say hi!_

But Regina was still smiling. “Hi yourself, my darling.” The brunette’s fingertips were back to lovingly stroking over scars with care. “You are unbelievable.”

“Me?” Emma ran her hands, still shaking slightly, up and down Regina’s back. She loved the feeling of the smaller woman pressed completely against her, skin to skin. “I think you’re the unbelievable one. I’ve, that,” _tell her it was different Swan. Tell her you’ve never felt like this. Tell her that meant everything to you._ “That was incredible.”

Emma prepared herself for Regina’s face to fall but it didn’t. She continued to smile that adoring grin. _Please tell me she just knows. Tell me she can just feel it._ The brunette seemingly answered her question when she leaned down and kissed the spot on Emma’s sternum where she was sure to have a mark for a week; right over her heart. 

“It _was_ incredible. You were incredible.” 

The blonde actually blushed and tucked her face forward so Regina couldn’t see it. “I swear I usually have more stamina.” Emma whispered. _God, way to make her think you’ve never been fucked, Swan. Get it together._

“Don’t do that, Emma.” Regina knocked her head gently against Emma’s to get her to move. “Don’t try to make this less than it was. It was perfect. And feeling you?” Emma knew she meant her arms as much as everything else. “God, Emma, I don’t even know if you realize what that did to me.”

The blonde relaxed again and gave Regina a salacious grin. “Why don’t we find out?” She shifted her legs and raised one thigh so that Regina grinded down it; watching the brunette’s eyes roll back and hearing the groan that escaped her throat made Emma’s muscles feel suddenly revitalized. She slid her hands down to Regina’s hips, hooked her leg around Regina’s calf and flipped their positions easily. 

Regina smirked and Emma read the dare in her eyes easily. “Yes. Let’s.”

_This woman is going to kill me for sure, but goddamn, what a way to go._

**

Ashley was humming and rooting through the fridge when Regina startled her. “Jesus Christ!”

“Language.” 

“We’re not religious.” Ashley laughed. She noticed how unlike her usual mayor persona Regina seemed. She was freshly showered and wore no makeup and her hair had simply been brushed back. She wore capri yoga pants and a baggy button up, plaid shirt- _wait, is that Emma’s shirt? Actually, never mind, don’t want to know._ Without her heels Regina seemed much smaller in stature; Ashley had almost forgotten that flat-footed Regina was only a hair taller than her. 

“Hungry?” Regina arched an eyebrow at Ashley’s entire upper body in the fridge. 

Ashley groaned. “Just wanted something to snack on while we start our homework but picky Spencer,” Ashley changed her voice in a high pitched imitation nothing like Spencer’s voice, “doesn’t eat carbs this late at night.”

Regina smirked. “There’s strawberries in there for you to cut up.” Ashley groaned again but dutifully grabbed them. She was reaching for a knife and laying the fruit out on the cutting board before she really registered that Regina was still standing behind her and watching. 

“Am I under Henry rules now and not trusted with a knife?” Ashley teased until she saw Regina looking serious. “What?”

Regina bought herself some time by going into the cupboard for a bowl and offering it to the younger brunette. _Shit she looks super serious. Jesus fuck something else couldn’t have happened could it? Fucking hell stop even thinking that Davies! Now something else is going to happen!_ “Regina?”

“There was a time,” Regina scoffed, “hardly any time ago at all really, where I wouldn’t have told you what I’m about to tell you. But now, I see that undisputable trust and open communication that Emma and Spencer have and I want that for us.” Ashley glanced down at the fruit she was putting in a bowl quickly. _And I’m the reason that Spencer is lying to Emma right now. I’m the reason she’s breaking that trust._ “So,” Regina continued, “I’m going to tell you something and trust that we can talk about it.”

“Okay.” Ashley tried her best not to show her apprehension.

“I got a call earlier, from Ruby Lucas.”

_Ruby wouldn’t be talking about running into me earlier would she? No, she didn’t see anything. The stuff to make Regina flip wasn’t until later._ “Okay?”

Regina squared herself up and Ashley unconsciously mimicked the gesture. “Your parents are staying at Granny’s and she overheard a conversation they were having about you. I cannot fathom why she would call here to lie so I’m going to assume it’s the truth.”

“I can’t picture her lying either.” Ashley admitted. _Oh God it’s bad. Fucking hell it’s really bad isn’t it?_ “What was it?”

Regina scoffed a little. “She had to explain it to me, but I gather that a television network in L.A is doing another one of those reality television shows.”

Ashley blinked; this wasn’t going at all where she thought it was. “Okay?”

“It’s called MGen, I believe. Music Generations or something to that effect. It’s about famous celebrity musicians who have children who are also musicians and cameras follow them around Los Angeles or something.” Ashley’s jaw had dropped and a strangled noise escaped her throat. Regina was decidedly not looking at her. “Ruby said that your parents believed getting on the show would be the most helpful for his own career. He seemed to think the publicity would be ideal and your mother believed that they had a good shot of getting contracted for the show as the “bad guys”,” Regina couldn’t hold back her scoff, “to bring some drama to the program. Anyway.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “That’s why they’re pushing L.A for you. They want you to join them on this music reality T.V show.” 

_Oh my god, they want me to be on T.V with them?_ “I…I don’t…I don’t know what to say.” Ashley stuttered. 

“Well.” Regina tried to appear calm. “I don’t want you to go.” Ashley cracked a smile at her bluntness. “I don’t trust your parents, I don’t trust some reality television show and I don’t think it’s a good idea for your future. I don’t want you leaving high school without a diploma, and I fear that in Los Angeles it will be very difficult to take your drinking problem seriously.” Ashley blinked and went to speak but Regina cut her off to continue. “And honestly, I just don’t want you that far away from me either. I really don’t. But…I won’t stop you. I won’t force you to stay if you think this opportunity could make your music career. I’ll,” the elder brunette swallowed roughly, “I’ll stand by you, Ashley.”

_Wow. Oh my god._ “Regina.” Ashley’s voice cracked and she had to try again. “Regina, I’m not going.”

Regina’s head snapped up. “You’re not?”

“No. I’m not.”

Now the elder brunette stepped forward. “Well, I think you should at least give it some thought, dear.” _Is she really arguing for this?_ “Not that I think you should go.” Regina rolled her eyes. “But, I know how important your music is to you, Ashley. I know what your dream is. And if this is the way to make it come true, then I’ll do anything I can to help that.”

_Oh my god. What the actual fuck? Oh my god. That’s all I ever wanted to hear._ Ashley covered her mouth to choke back a sob but she couldn’t hide her crying eyes. _That’s all I ever wanted my parents to say. What I always thought a parent should say._ Ashley had only cried for a breath before Regina had engulfed her in a hug and pulled her tight against her. Regina murmured gently in her ear and rubbed her back and Ashley struggled to pull herself together. “Sorry, I don’t…I’m fine.” _Pull it together Davies!_ Ashley pulled away and Regina allowed it although she reached to gently wipe her tears away with the back of her fingers. 

“Talk to me.” It was a request, not an order, and Ashley heard the difference. 

_Don’t talk to her about parent stuff. God I’m not ready for that. Don’t do it Davies. Just say something else. Anything else._ “I want no part of that show.” Ashley said honestly. She was still trying to pull herself together and kept talking to try and distract them both. “I was hesitant enough asking my dad for help with like introductions and stuff, and being in LA. But a show like that? I want no part of it. I don’t want my musical career just handed to me because of who my parents are. I want to pay my dues and fight for my music and prove that I am good enough all on my own. My mom is right about something though. They probably could have gotten on the show because of their reputations. But that’s the point, people watch those shows for the drama and to see a celebrity in their natural element or whatever. They don’t watch for the music. That’s for wannabes and fakes and has-beens like my dad. Playing music in a dive bar and trying to get noticed and heard is more real. And I’d rather do it that way.” _Okay, now just take the food and fucking leave. If she hugs me again I’m going to break down and just, no. I am not ready to deal with this, nope._ “So, you definitely don’t have to worry about me choosing to go on the show.” 

“Good.” Regina smiled softly. 

“Good talk.” Ashley nodded and took her bowl of strawberries and went to head back upstairs. 

“Hey, Ashley?” The younger brunette hummed to show she was listening still. “It _was_ a good talk. And I hope we can have many more of them.”

“You got it.” Ashley basically shouted over her shoulder as she fled. _Regina can’t do that to me. She can’t say all the right things and act the right way and have faith in my musical career._

_Because if she’s perfect then I have no excuse to keep that wall up anymore._

**

Emma couldn’t stop running her finger over her arms. She knew the ink patterns even with her eyes closed. Without looking she could perfectly traces the coil of the snake and follow the line further to run her fingers down the robe of the Lady Justice. She could circle each link in the broken watch tattoo just as easily as she could blindly follow the script on the open book in every one of the different languages. She knew her own ink more intimately than anyone. 

She also knew all the scars underneath. 

The blonde hadn’t lied to Regina when she said she didn’t know the exact story behind each one; there were too many to catalogue and many overlapped or were in small clusters. But she did know them; she knew the feel of each one and could trace their exact location under all the ink just like she could the tattoos. 

Her fingertips knew exactly where the long, deep gash transitioned into dozens of smaller ridges which became the bumpy patch of skin. She knew exactly where to find the little train track scars from bad stitches and how it overlapped pockmarked and deep scarring. She knew the exact perimeter that was the ruined and mottled burnt flesh of her upper shoulder. No one knew her own scars as intimately as she did. Hardly anyone had ever touched her scars, and therefore her tattoos, in their entirety.

But now Regina had. 

Regina had felt over every inch of her and hadn’t shied away for even a second. Regina had worshipped her skin and she had cherished the scarred as much as the silky smooth. Emma had been left in awe of the brunette and how it felt to be truly appreciated. Regina had touched her seemingly without pattern or reason. She would trail her fingers along the path of a tattoo as her lips kissed the ridges that were scar tissue. Her tongue would trace along the lines of ink as her fingers rubbed soothingly along blemished skin. 

The blonde had been embarrassed when the attention had brought her to the brink of tears, and orgasm, but Regina had acted like Emma was the one giving _her_ a gift. 

Emma moved her hand along her arm in the path that Regina had traced only an hour ago. Her fingers found the bunch of tiny but sharp scars along her elbow and forearm. _Emma heard the whistle and ducked just in time as something went sailing over her head. She heard the shatter behind her and she made the mistake of whipping around. The glass was in a hundred pieces on the floor after striking the wall. She gasped and turned around but Kara was already in her face. The older woman struck her in the chest with both hands and Emma lost her balance and was knocked off her feet. A sharp cry escaped her lips when she landed on her one arm in the shards of glass. She tried to move but put her hand down in more shards. Her arm had already smeared blood along the tile floor. “Clean this up.” Kara huffed before stalking away. Emma was an hour cleaning the kitchen and another hour picking glass pieces out of her arm with tweezers._

With fingers she forced not to shake she touched the small, circular scars that littered her inner elbow. _“What the hell are you doing home?” Kara snapped around the cigarette in her mouth._

_“Practice was cancelled.” Emma turned around to walk away. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your alone time with Voldemort.” She muttered. The hand that snagged her by the forearm came without warning and Emma’s arm was twisted behind her back. She dropped to one knee so her shoulder didn’t pop from the socket._

_“What have I told you about calling him that?”_

_Don’t let her do this to you Swan. Fight back. Do something. You could probably kick her ass now. Do it. Stand up and fight._

_She caught sight of movement at the corner of her eye and saw three kids peeking their heads around the hallway. Emma let the fight drain from her. She gestured slightly with her head to get the kids to run back to their room; to get Spencer to hide while Kara was in a mood. “You told me not to call him that.” Emma heard her foster mothers deep exhale but with her arm twisted behind her back she couldn’t see what she was doing; couldn’t prepare herself for the pain. She gasped and flinched when the cigarette was pressed into the crook of her elbow and trying to move away caused her shoulder socket to protest painfully and she grit her teeth to remain still._

_“That’s right.” Emma could hear Kara sucking deeply on her smoke getting another ember to flare on the end. “I told you not to call him that.” The cigarette was pressed to her skin again and Emma closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was anywhere else._

“Emma?”

Emma pulled her hand off her arm and tried, and failed, to act naturally. “Regina. How did it go?” She looked over the brunette who had just come back into her own bedroom. “You’ve been crying.” The blonde started to get out of bed but Regina waved her off. 

“It went…better than I could have hoped for, actually.” Regina gave her a blinding smile. “We really talked and connected. And she said she didn’t even want to go join the reality show. Something about sell-outs and has-beens and wannabe’s.” Regina waved a dismissive hand again and she sat down on the bed. “It was perfect, Emma.”

“I’m so glad, Regina.” Emma leaned over and kissed Regina’s smile gently. “I knew you guys could connect.”

“We did. Thanks to you. Thank you for convincing me to talk to her. Now.” Regina got comfortable and mimicked Emma’s position sitting up against the headboard. “Why don’t you tell me what was bothering you when I came in here?”

“Nothing.” Emma said instantly. She knew her answer was wrong when Regina’s face dropped.

“Emma, I know I’m not exactly one to preach about being open and vulnerable. But, I thought we were passed this a little bit. You don’t have to tell me everything, dear, but don’t shut me out.”

The blonde sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just…no one has ever…touched me like you did. Touched my scars like that. I guess I was just wondering what it…felt like. You know, to you.” Emma absolutely couldn’t look over at the other woman.

“Emma.” Regina reached over and took both of the blonde woman’s hands. “It felt wonderful. Amazing.” Emma scoffed and Regina dug her nails gently into Emma’s skin. “I’m serious. It’s a part of you. And being trusted to touch you in a way no one else has? That means more to me than anything else, my dear. You are so, so, beautiful, and I was, am, so very honoured.”

Emma brought her gaze up and stared at Regina for a moment as if trying to discern the truth in her face. “You want to ask something.”

Regina startled and faltered for one second. “No, no I don’t. I trust you and I want you to tell me things when you’re ready to tell me.”

“It’s okay to be curious, Regina.” Emma murmured. “I would be more shocked if you weren’t curious. You can ask. I can’t promise to answer.” Emma hurried to clarify. “Not right away. But you can ask.”

“Emma.” Regina sighed. “I don’t want to bring up anything painful.”

The blonde actually chuckled. “We’re already here and talking about it, you might as well just ask.”

“Okay. Well, I just couldn’t help but notice...” Regina’s voice trailed away and she used her fingers to ask the question instead. She gently moved one hand to Emma’s arm and touched her skin with barely any pressure. Her fingertips traced gently over the lines, and the scars underneath, one tattoo in particular.

It was the chessboard. Emma watched as Regina’s graceful and elegant fingers touched her almost reverently. “Couldn’t help but notice…” Emma probed even though she already knew exactly what Regina had felt. 

The brunette cleared her throat. “The part of this tattoo that’s hiding the scars is the actual lines on the chessboard and the edges of the broken glass pieces.”

“And.” Emma didn’t know why she was making Regina say it.

“And the scars are…”

“Straight? Clean?” Emma swallowed and pulled her arm away from Regina’s touch self-consciously. “Deliberate?” 

Regina’s face didn’t change a muscle. Emma was watching for pity or disgust, or literally any emotion, but it didn’t happen. “Emma. No story you tell me about any scar on your body could make me think less of you in any way. In fact,” she reached for Emma’s hand again, “it will just make me think more of you. Think you even stronger than I ever imagined possible.” 

_God I hope that’s true. It’s never been true before but with you, I hope it is._ “Most,” Emma cleared her throat and looked somewhere over Regina’s shoulder, “most of the scars on me are _her_ fault. _Her_ doing. But those…” _oh god, don’t even go there Emma, not ever,_ “those are _his_ fault. Even if they’re not _his_ doing. But anyway,” Emma straightened her spine and pushed those thoughts away. Regina must have registered the change because she dropped the blonde’s hand and let the conversation drop. “We both have a lot of work we probably could be doing.” _Fuck and that’s not even an exaggeration._ “I need to make a plan.”

“In regards to what?”

Emma felt a rush of affection towards Regina for moving on as bluntly as Emma had. She couldn't help herself and leaned over to kiss Regina gently. She lingered for a few breaths, content to be close to her, before pulling away and continuing. “Frederick’s arrest for starters. I need to start getting statements from the boys on his various teams. It’s not dire but it would really help if I could get some of the boys to agree and corroborate Spunk’s statements. And then deal with the rest of Spunk’s testimony.”

“The rest?”

“He had some information he didn’t know he had.” Emma admitted. “I might…I might know who the arsonist is. I just need to think of a plan to catch them.”

Regina stroked Emma’s arm and gave a decidedly wicked smile. “Why don’t you let me help? Believe it or not I can be rather devious.”

Emma smile. “I believe it.”

**

Spencer was laying in the living room with a book though she hadn’t turned the page in almost a half an hour. She was too proud to go upstairs and knock on the other guestroom door to find Emma; but if Emma came downstairs and Spencer just happened to be there than it wouldn’t be quite so awkward to start a conversation. 

The fact that Spencer had to even consider having a conversation with Emma made her upset because it really made how far they had fallen sink in.

Her planning, and her cowardice, paid off when she heard Emma’s footsteps, a distinctively different hop jump sound than Regina’s nearly silent and elegant descent, and she lifted her gaze from her book to catch Emma’s eye.

“Hey, Spence.” The hesitation in Emma’s voice physically pained her. 

“Hey, Ems. Um, can we talk for a second?” Spencer steeled her nerves and plowed ahead. 

The elder blonde looked heartbroken. “Spence. Of course, you know you don’t have to ask. You want to step out back?”

“Sure.” Spencer dropped her book on the table without marking the page and stood to follow Emma out the patio doors. They were both wearing sweat pants and sweatshirts and the fresh air made them both inhale deeply. 

Regina was clearly a gardener and she kept her backyard, along with her apple tree, studiously maintained. Both Swans settled themselves in her Adirondack chairs and Spencer was glad that they were looking out at the backyard and Regina’s tree as opposed to staring at each other. 

“I’m sorry things have been tense, kid.” Emma said to break the silence in the quiet backyard.

“Don’t apologize.” Spencer said instantly. _God this is hard. How did I let it get this bad?_ “It’s fine. I know that everything was crazy and we were doing the best we could.”

“My best could have been better.” Emma sighed. “Listen, Spence. I know what being with Ashley means to you, alright? And yes, everything I’ve ever done was to protect you but…maybe it was to protect me a little bit too.”

Spencer was shocked and she couldn’t come up with anything to say. Emma noticed her slack jawed expression and chuckled. 

“I know, who’d have thought? It’s just…our lives are complicated Spence and I don’t regret or feel guilty for anything I’ve done. And it _was_ to protect you, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, I also shouldn’t have tried to take you away from Ashley and Regina like I did. I was scared. Everything felt like it was falling apart and I was scared. But, I know we have to work together. And I trust you to be smart and that you wouldn’t d-”

“I told Ashley.” Spencer blurted. She knew Emma was staring at the side of her head but she couldn’t look over. 

“You told Ashley what?” Emma asked carefully. 

_Oh god, oh god. Fuck me sideways she’s going to flip._ “I told her…everything.” The last word was a whisper and Emma stiffened. 

“What do you mean, everything?” Emma’s voice was calm and Spencer knew that wasn’t actually a good sign. 

“I mean…about our pasts.” Spencer whispered while her eyes welled with tears. “She thought I was the arsonist!” Spencer hissed as she tried to defend herself. “She was already freaking out and I didn’t know what she was going to do so I just told the truth.”

“Spencer!” Emma banged her hands on the wooden arms of the deck chair. “Do you know how dangerous that was? We agreed we weren’t ever going to tell anyone about that!”

“I know! But, Emma, it was Ashley,”

“I don’t care! Oh my god, Spencer. You just casually told Ashley,” Emma dropped her voice dangerously low, “that I’m a murderer?”

Spencer’s eyes widened; Emma never referred to herself that way. “It wasn’t murder.” Spencer whispered and Emma scoffed. 

“Any way you want to dice it, I killed them. I killed them and we covered it up. God Spencer, I could spend the rest of my life,”

“Ashley would never like, tell the police on us, Emma!”

“I know that Spence.” Emma’s response stunned Spencer quiet. The elder blonde shook her head. “But you’ve placed an extremely large burden on her, Spence. We _have_ to bare it but Ashley? And Regina? They don’t. Not to mention, that wasn’t only your story to tell.”

“Emma, I’m sorry.”

“Do you think I wanted this?” Emma couldn’t look over at her. “Do you think I wanted for Ashley to look at me and see someone capable of murder? Someone who has actually done that? She looked to me for advice and guidance and support. What’s she going to look at me and see now?”

“Emma…” Tears spilled over Spencer’s eyes. 

“You might have irreparable damage to mine and Ashley’s relationship, and you did it without thought or care and then you lied to me about it.” Emma’s voice broke and Spencer’s whole body shuddered. 

“Emma, no! I swear it wasn’t like that! Ashley was…she was spiraling and losing control. She really thought that I was the arsonist and it was tearing her apart and she was struggling enough with everything else going on. I didn’t mean for this to happen! I was just trying to help her and everything kind of just happened.” _Oh fuck what did I do?_ “I was just trying to help, Emma, you have to believe me. God,” Spencer’s hands found her scalp and she fisted her hair, “everything was just so crazy and I didn’t know what the right thing to do was and I tried so hard,” Spencer continued ranting hardly without pausing to draw breath, “and I just wanted everyone to be okay and especially Ashley but it seems like it hasn’t even worked because she still spiraled today and then she seemed miraculously back to normal after she went for a walk and I really think she actually drank and relapsed today honestly but she hasn’t said anything negative about you I swear she doesn’t think you’re a bad person and she even said she’d have done the same thing and I’m so sorry I lied Emma but you were so set on a running away but I’m really s-”

“Spencer!”

The younger blonde flinched. She frantically tried to wipe away her tears as she realized she’d been crying the entire time. “Yeah?”

“Spence, breathe for me, alright? Just breathe.” Emma got out of her chair and crouched down in front of Spencer; the younger blonde couldn’t quite look at her. “Okay, it’s alright. Don’t work yourself into a fit. I’m sorry, okay?” She sighed and looked down at her feet and her face was hidden by a curtain of blonde hair. 

_I’m sorry. I’m sorry._ Spencer wasn’t even sure if she’d spoken out loud or not. _This got so fucked up._ “I’m sorry.”

“I am too. Look, needless to say we’ve both been under an incredible amount of pressure and shit definitely hit the fan. We both…could have handled certain things along the way better, alright?” She sighed deeply again. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me when you told Ashley, and I shouldn’t have implied that you did anything maliciously. It’s really okay, Spence. Come here.”

The elder blonde opened her arms and Spencer rushed into them. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. But listen,” Emma kept her arms tightly around her, “we’ll say we both have a clean slate from now on and that everything is good. But we also need to go back to our complete trust and honesty policy, alright?”

“Deal.” Spencer nodded with her face pressed into the comforting feel of Emma’s soft sweatshirt and strong embrace. 

“Deal.” Emma ignored the awkward position she was in and continued to hold Spencer in her arms. “Hey, Spence?” The younger blonde hummed. “Uh, when you said you told Ashley, well, everything. That’s not true, right? I mean…you didn’t tell her, you know…that one thing?” 

Spencer pulled away to look at Emma incredulously. “No.” The word was choked and she had to cough and clear her throat. “Oh my god. No! Oh Ems, no I swear. That has absolutely nothing to do with anything and nothing to do with me and I would never tell anybody _that_. Never.”

“Good.”

**

Regina felt like a spy in her own house. 

In bare feet she practically tiptoed back out of the kitchen and headed straight for her study. _I need a drink. I need a glass of something. And of course there’s nothing in the house because I drank my one stashed bottle earlier_. In the absence of reaching for a glass of cider Regina just paced around the room. _That didn’t just happen. That did not just happen._

The brunette had only come downstairs because Emma hadn’t come right back upstairs like she said she was going to. Regina had been thinking about asking her to stay in her bedroom with her tonight. She had considered all the possible effects of the request; from Spencer possibly realizing that Emma wasn’t in her usual guest bedroom to Henry coming into her own room and seeing that his mother wasn’t alone. 

She decided that she would ask Emma what she was comfortable with and patience not being one of her strong suits she had gone to find her. She was halfway across the kitchen when she heard the quiet murmur of voices from outside and it brought an affectionate smile to her face. She adored Emma and Spencer’s relationship; she had been honest with Ashley when she told her that. The connection between them was palpable and instead of still making her jealous she now simply admired it. 

A part of her, a part she usually tried to tamp down, could see that scene far into the future. Could see Spencer and Emma, sharing their own quiet conversations in her backyard, touching base and sharing their thoughts before coming back inside to greet their two brunettes.

And then Spencer’s voice had changed. Her voice was higher pitched in fear and anguish and Regina gathered in the span of a heartbeat that she was not meant to be hearing this conversation. Whatever else was going on the blondes still deserved their privacy and Regina had backed away as quickly as she could; but that didn’t mean she could stop thinking about what she heard. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t heard it. 

Spencer believed that Ashley had relapsed today. 

Regina wasn’t angry, she wasn’t disappointed, she wasn’t upset; but she couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened. The brunette wasn’t surprised either. It was completely understandable for Ashley to struggle after her parents had rudely shown up and insulted her. Regina was actually angrier at herself.

_God of course she relapsed. And Spencer would know. But I should have known. I shouldn’t have let it get that far. I shouldn’t have ever let those sorry excuse for people who call themselves her parents even get that close to her._ I’m _her mother. It’s_ my _job to protect her and I failed at it._ Regina knew she had been avoiding her desk during her pacing but she stared at it now. _No more. I won’t fail her again. I’m her mother which means I need to do what is best for her._

Regina strode over to the desk and opened the drawer with a steady hand; she was determined. She would always do what was best for Ashley. There was a folder and papers on top of the stack in the drawer and Regina tossed them aside without thought. Underneath she found the Cortagen documents. She found all of her research about the drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and she found the admission papers; the ones that had been pre-signed by Ashley when they had struck their deal. 

_Ashley knew the consequences of relapsing. She had agreed she would go to Cortagen if she couldn’t stop drinking by herself. This is the best thing for her._

The documents still needed her signature and she reached for a pen; her hand was no longer steady. 

_This isn’t right, Regina. You just said you admired Emma and Spencer’s relationship. Don’t go behind Ashley’s back now. You said you’d treat her like an adult and you just have to keep doing that._ Regina put the pen down without signing. _Speak to Ashley about this first._

The brunette turned and headed straight out of her study but the scrunch of paper under her bare foot made her jump. The file folder she had tossed was scattered across the floor. _Oh for heaven’s sake, what even was- oh my god._ Regina’s eyes widened as she noted the manila folder. It was the one that Sidney Glass had handed her; it was the file on the Swans. Regina realized what she had tossed so carelessly and her heart stuttered in her chest. _Oh my god, what if I had just left that laying around? I should just burn this entire folder._

Regina crouched down to start gathering the papers. She was actively trying not to look. She could see the medical pages and she tried to respect Emma’s privacy. She didn’t want to see the words on the pages anyway. She didn’t want to read _contusion_ and _abrasion_ and _gash_ and _stitches_. She knew many of Emma’s scars now. She knew how many there were. She didn’t want to see actual proof of the words _fracture_ and _broken_ and _dislocation_ because it would just make her furious. She would seethe at the thought of the pain Emma had gone through and didn’t deserve. 

She grabbed all the papers and stuffed them into the folder without care. _It’s going in the fire. Seriously. This file folder has no right to exist and I definitely have no right to have it._ Regina picked up the last paper and glared at it. _Even the fact this godforsaken file exists angers me and I wish_ \- Regina’s breathe caught in her throat. She hadn’t meant to. It was an accident. She had been trying not to read anything but her eye had been drawn to the paper and the second she read it she knew she had changed everything. 

It was like hearing Ashley had relapsed. It was impossible to forget and Regina would never be able to stop thinking of the words. They were burned indelibly in her brain.

_“Emergency Cesarean section.”_


	19. Fight or Flight

Spencer’s head was pounding, her jaw ached from clenching it and her hands had started to shake; that was the point she’d said she’d had enough. She managed to make it through second period but she was done at lunch. 

She felt worse about lying to Ashley. 

The brunette had heard all the same whispers about the brick and the fires that Spencer had. Ashley had been about to wring a few different people’s necks but Spencer had gripped her arm and told her not to bother. That fighting every person who gossiped would only make the gossip worse. Ashley had bitten her tongue but done as the blonde requested and instead laughed each rumour off as ridiculous. Unfortunately for Spencer, Ashley being so charming and unfazed was actually making her worry worse.

_Did Ashley actually relapse yesterday or not? God I can’t just ask her. Can I? It’s not that I don’t trust her it’s that I want to help. I of all people know how normal relapsing is._

Ashley had been adorably concerned when Spencer said she had a headache and was going to go home at lunch. Spencer had waved the brunette off, reminding her that she was not allowed to miss a minute of school and that she didn’t need a ride. 

The walk back to the mansion would probably do her some good. 

In the spirit of their newly affirmed full trust and communication policy Spencer texted Emma the second she left school property and told her how she was feeling. She was honest that she didn’t feel her impulse control slipping but that she wasn’t in a great headspace. Emma had replied in seconds that she would contact the school and let them know the blonde wasn’t merely skipping, and that she was under orders to relax for the rest of the day. 

Walking into the mansion she wanted to kick off her shoes and throw her bag and coat down on the ground but great respect for Regina made her take her time. Her shoes were wiped and put away, her coat was hung and she was about to trudge up the stairs to the guestroom to drop off her bag. 

“Spencer?”

“Oh my fu-dge!” Spencer had jumped and startled and still managed to bite back her curse at the sight of Regina herself. “Sorry, you scared me.”

Regina’s eyebrows were arched and she appraised Spencer carefully. “Then I’m sorry I scared you, dear. Home for lunch?”

“Uh, sort of. Home for the day. Bad headache. Emma said it was okay.” She hurried to add. She noticed that Regina, while in mostly full mayoral dress, was barefoot and her makeup had been washed off. 

“I wasn’t going to question you.” Regina smiled softly. “Are you okay, dear?” 

Spencer tried to pull herself together and wondered what it was about her that had given her away. _Or maybe it’s just a mom thing?_ “Yeah fine.” Spencer pointedly looked down at Regina’s bare feet. “You?”

The brunette tilted her head. “You know what, would you come help me for a second?” Regina headed back for the kitchen and Spencer followed. 

“Sure.” She placed her book bag on a stool. “What do you need?”

“Go in that cupboard there,” Regina pointed to one, “and find me a can of whole kernel corn and a can of black beans, if you would, dear.”

Spencer was already rummaging through the cupboard. It was perfectly neat and organized and it only took Spencer a moment. “Got them.” She noticed Regina was pulling things from the fridge and a bag of rice was on the counter. 

“Excellent. The corn needs drained and the beans need to be drained and rinsed.” Spencer blinked and Regina smiled affectionately. “The can opener is in that drawer and the colander is hanging right there. Open the corn, and drain them over the sink and then put it in a bowl. When you do the same with the beans, run cold water over them and stir them around in the colander.”

“Got it.” _Okay, you can do this, Swan._ Spencer was more impressed that while Regina had been pointing and explaining things she’d been preparing to cook rice on the stove and she hadn’t measured anything. 

“All finished?”

“Mhmm.” Spencer grinned at her little bowls of separated food. 

“Excellent. Now, from the fridge we’ll need a cup of sour cream, a lime and a clove of garlic. You’ll also find a jar of chipotle paste in the door. It’s not labeled but when you smell something that makes you think of Mexican food, you’ve found it.” Regina teased. 

Spencer followed Regina’s instructions to the letter and made a sauce while Regina stirred the rice and quickly diced lettuce and tomatoes. _Good lord she wields that knife better than a surgeon._

“Okay dear, if you would get two of the serving bowls out?” 

The blonde did as requested and she watched Regina layer lettuce in the bottom of the bowls and then add a few spoonful’s of rice. The tomatoes, beans and corn she tossed in expertly and then smirked at the blonde. “Have you ever seen someone chop an avocado?” 

“No?” 

Regina held the dark brown fruit in one hand and then used a knife to slice through and around the entire outside before twisting the halves apart. She was left holding the half with the pit and Spencer gasped when she sharply brought the knife down towards her hand. The knife had, of course, only embedded in the pit and Regina was able to twist it out effortlessly. Spencer watched as the brunette loosened the skin with the edge of her knife and peeled it back on both halves. It was chopped and added to the bowls in seconds. 

“I think I watched a video of that one time and even they didn’t do it as fast.” 

Regina nodded her head and Spencer swore she might be blushing. “Thank you dear. Now, pour the sauce on while I chop some cilantro and then we can eat.” 

“What even is this? It looks delicious.”

“Burrito bowl. Easy and healthy.” They brought their bowls to the dining room and sat down together. Spencer dug in and tried to show her best table manners in front of Regina. “How’s the headache dear?”

Spencer nearly dropped her fork. “Oh, it’s um,” _wait hold the phone_ , “actually my head feels better.”

Regina leaned forward and tucked a strand of Spencer’s hair behind her ear. “I get stress headaches too dear. In fact, I think we must have had the same idea to come home today.”

_Holy shit. Tough and scary Mayor Mills actually has to take some time away because of stress headaches too?_ “Really?”

“Mhmm. I’ve had some bad ones lately. I imagine everything is a bit much for all of us right now.” 

“Yeah.” _Oh god, and you don’t even know all of it, do you?_ “Yeah it’s been…crazy.”

“How have your peers been treating you after the incident at your house?” 

Spencer shrugged and busied herself with her lunch for a moment. “I don’t know. They gossip. They’ll gossip about anything and this is huge. It’s whatever.”

“Alright.” Regina acquiesced gently. “I just want you to know that you can come to me, okay? I know you and Emma are impossibly close but if you just need someone to listen, or you need advice, or just want to gets things off your chest. I’m here for you. Okay dear?”

Spencer tried to hide the fact that her eyes were welling with tears. “Yeah. Okay.” _You know you can trust her, Swan. You know you can. She’s always done everything she could for you._

“Alright dear.” Regina turned her attention to her own bowl and then she idly remarked about all the things that she had to do that day until Spencer interrupted her mid-sentence. 

“Regina? I need to tell you something.”

** 

Emma knocked on the door and Graham shifted his weight beside her. Things had been tense between them ever since Emma had been proven correct about Spunk having a boss and the fact she went to arrest Frederick Knight herself. Even so, Emma knew they still had a job to do in this town. 

“Sheriff? Deputy?”

“Good afternoon Mark.” Emma smiled warmly. She noted Mark Planters slightly rumpled appearance and winced a little. “Sorry kid, we wake you?”

“No, no, I should have been up by now anyway. It was just a long night at work. Come on in.” He stepped aside and the two law official followed him in. “Do you guys need to check out Spunk’s room again?” He asked cautiously. His sweats looked slept in and the bun his long hair was kept in was decidedly more messy than usual. 

“No, actually. We’re here to talk about Frederick Knight.” Emma said gently and she saw the young man tense slightly. 

“Yeah, crazy right?” Mark looked away. “I think the whole town was shocked about it. They’ll be talking about that one for years.”

“Mark.” Emma kept her voice gentle. “Can we sit?” She motioned for the couches in the living room and Mark nodded and gestured them forward. Emma and Graham shared a couch and Mark sat across from them. “Mark.” Emma leaned forward and showed her open hands so she didn’t look threatening. “I don’t think you were shocked at all when you heard the news about Fred Knight. I think you knew exactly what he had been doing.” Emma forced her voice even softer because she didn’t want to sound like she was accusing him. “I know that Knight has been manipulating several select and key players into doping over the years. I know he’s given a lot of kid’s bad habits, but I can’t imagine the pressure he put on his star players.”

Mark looked away again. “Why don’t you talk to Dennison then?” 

“I did.” Emma nodded. _Nice and easy, Swan. Don’t push it._ “And Aiden had a lot to say. It was clear to see how much he’s been struggling. But he also mentioned you.” Mark looked up. “You were the star player on Knight’s team before Aiden weren’t you?”

“Yeah. I was alright.” Mark shrugged.

Graham sighed deeply. “You were much better than alright, Mark. You were amazing. It was incredible to watch you play.”

Emma tried to meet his gaze. “I did some checking on you, kid. You were the real deal. You had a real shot of getting out of this town.” Mark’s hands clenched on the arms of the chair. “But no college would take you on a scholarship once you failed your medical.” Emma waited to see if he would speak. “Mark, I don’t think you failed your medical because you were out of shape.” That brought a smirk to Mark’s lips for half a second. “C’mon kid, talk to me.”

Mark finally threw up his hands. “Yeah alright, Coach convinced me to dope, okay? It was stupid.” His faced dropped into a scowl. “Ruined any chance I had of getting out of this town.”

“Mark. Listen to me kid. That’s not your fault. Okay? He was responsible for you and he betrayed that trust. Losing any chance at a scholarship? He knew that would happen, Mark. He knew and he didn’t care. He took advantage of his relationship as your coach and supplied you with illegal performance enhancers and narcotics. I know you know how wrong that is, kid.”

“Yeah. I mean whatever. It doesn’t change anything now.” Mark shrugged again. His hands were clenching his sweats at his thighs. 

“It does change things now, Mark.” Emma again made sure her voice didn’t hold a note of accusation. “Because Aiden is struggling now. And Peter Gold is struggling. Seems like the entire school is struggling with drug addiction, but the boys on his teams are dealing with an awful headspace as well. He deserves his punishment for what he’s done to all of you. And your testimony about it is what will help. What your life is like because of what he did. How you’ve struggled and how it feels knowing because of him your chance at playing college or professional ball is gone.” Mark swallowed thickly and blinked his eyes so they wouldn’t tear up. “Mark, one of the things that I live by is that people should only be blamed for the things that they’ve done. If you deserve the punishment, then that’s that, but in this case, you don’t. You may have taken drugs but this isn’t your fault. It’s Knight’s. And he needs to be held accountable with a punishment he deserves because he is really to blame for this.” Emma fell silent and waited Mark out. She motioned for Graham not to break the silence when Mark leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands. 

“Okay.” It was whispered.

“Okay?”

“Yeah.” This was slightly louder when Mark lifted his head. “I’ll testify. I’ll tell you about all the head games and the threats he made and shit.”

“Good.” Emma smiled lightly. “That’s good, Mark.” _Nice and slow, Swan._ “So you agree with me? About how people should be willing to accept the punishments that they really do deserve?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I mean, makes sense.”

“Yes it does. Mark can you do me a favour and take your hair down out of that bun?”

Mark actually half laughed and looked shocked. “What? What are you talking about?” 

“Spunk told me that you don’t wear your hair out of that bun very often, almost never, but it has happened once or twice.” Emma shifted slightly and felt Graham beside her do the same. “You wore your hair down on the night of the Tony’s fire, didn’t you?” 

One of Mark’s hands instinctively went to his hair. “Wha-? I don’t know. Maybe.” Mark laughed again. “Why are we talking about my hair, Deputy?” 

“Mark.” Emma kept her voice soft still. “I know what you’re going through, okay? And I understand. I do.”

“Sheriff.” Mark turned his attention to Graham. “What the hell is she talking about? What’s going on?”

“It was smart,” Emma nodded, “to do research, Mark. You did the right thing by trying to understand what was going on with you. But even then, you were trying to hide it. You even stole your roommate’s library card to go and get the books.” _Don’t push too hard, Swan._

The blonde watched Mark’s throat bob as he swallowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Spunk’s library card was used to check out every book on impulse control and arson that the library has, but Spunk didn’t do it. You had access to the card. You didn’t want to use your own and you knew your roommate was a reader so you stole his.”

“No- no I didn’t.”

“Where were you on the night of the fire at Tony’s?” Graham interjected. 

Mark shifted uncomfortably. “I was, I was in the crowd. I was watching the fire, just like the rest of the entire town.”

“No you weren’t.” Emma kept her eyes on him carefully. “I watched all of the footage from that night, Mark. You were only on it once.”

“There you go!” Mark’s eyes darted between them. “I was there watching.”

“You were there hiding.” Emma still showed him her open and empty hands. “You were nearly impossible to identify from the back with your hair down. I couldn’t put it together except you stopped for one second to chat with Spunk. He didn’t realize, he just saw his roommate and said hello. He remembered it because your hair was down.”

“So what? That doesn’t prove anything.” _He’s getting defensive, Swan, careful._

“He said you smelt overwhelmingly like coconut.” Emma remarked.

Mark forced a laugh. “Smelling like coconut is a crime now?”

“No, of course not. But I asked around. Both Aiden Dennison and Spunk told me that you get teased all the time for taking care of your hair like a girl would.” Emma used air quotes. “Spunk told me he recognized the coconut smell from when you use hot oil treatments on your hair.” Mark blinked. “You know, you ask any girl, any person with long hair really, and they’ll tell you that one of the hardest smells to get out of your hair is smoke. I remember going camping with Spencer and all we could smell for an entire day from our hair was smoke.” Mark shifted in his seat again. “You knew you smelt like smoke so you doused your hair in oil to cover it up. But you couldn’t stay away from the fire. You had to come back and watch the fire, didn’t you?”

Mark suddenly leapt to his feet and both Emma and Graham stood but kept their hands open. 

“Don’t do this, Mark.” Graham warned. 

“Kid, don’t.” Emma pleaded. “We know you need help. Okay? I don’t blame you. I know what it feels like when your dreams die. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to have been the star, to believe you were getting out of this town and then having someone take it away. I know how trapped you feel. I know how working in a place like the mines starts to suck out your soul. Doing the same thing, day in and day out. Doing a job that you can do with your eyes closed, getting stuck in your head. I know how the resentment and the hatred can build. Kid, listen to me. I get it. I really do.” Emma moved around the coffee table slowly and carefully. Mark’s eyes were wild and he was breathing hard. “I know you were scared. That’s why you did the research. You wanted to figure out what was going on with you and how to stop it. You wanted help.” Mark’s shaking hands clenched and Graham reached a hand slowly for his weapon. “Graham.” Emma’s voice was sharp. “Don’t. He’s unarmed, and he’s just a scared kid.” Emma hadn’t taken her eyes off him. “Kid, listen to me. You know that I understand about fire, right? Aiden told me he remembered you joined in one of their pick-up games down at the court and that everyone was talking about Spencer and I because our parents died in a fire. That’s why you decided to pin the blame on Spencer.”

Mark’s face twisted and Emma could see his eyes welling with tears. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her.” He whispered. “Your, your sister seemed…really nice when I met her. I didn’t mean to scare her so bad…”

“I know.” Emma took another minute step closer. “You didn’t hurt her. And if it makes you feel better, you can pay me back for the broken window, alright? It’s going to be okay, kid. You were looking for help and I just want to get you that help, okay?” Mark bit back a sob and his frantic eyes glanced over Emma’s shoulder. “Please don’t.” Emma’s voice cracked. “Please don’t try it, kid.” Emma knew that if Mark tried to flee he’d have to go through her. “I’m begging you not to try it. I don’t want to hurt you, Mark. That’s the last thing that I want. I’m just trying to help. I just want to get you some help. Isn’t that what you want? Mark?” Graham shifted a little closer from the other side. “I know that setting fires makes you feel better, Mark. I know it makes you feel like you’re getting justice. But I also know that you hate yourself afterwards. I know you don’t want to feel this way anymore.” Emma was almost within touching distance now. “I can help, Mark. I’ll get you help. I promise.”

Mark finally wailed and he crumpled to the ground; Emma darted forward and mostly caught him and they eased to the ground together. “I got you. I got you, kid.” Emma held him as he cried. “I got you.” Collapsed on the ground, crying and shaking uncontrollably, Emma couldn’t help but be reminded of another arsonist she knew. 

Emma felt eyes on her and turned her head slightly to see Graham watching on carefully. She nodded to him and signalled that she was okay. He hesitated but returned the gesture and walked from the room to give them a moment. 

“I got you, kid. I got you.”

** 

Regina, for the first time, felt truly at a loss. Everywhere she turned she had more questions than answers, more doubts than hope and more trepidation than confidence. She felt like the rug that her world had been resting on had been pulled out from underneath her and everything she cared about had gone spilling out in different directions. 

Facing Emma last night had been torture. She hadn’t gone through with her plan to ask the blonde to stay in her room; she thought if she even looked at the blonde for too long then one of the hundred questions she had would come spilling from her lips. _Do I have a right to be curious? A right to ask? To be upset? This isn’t hiding something small and insignificant, this was literally hiding the existence of a child. Emma’s child._ Regina felt bad for Emma who had come in from speaking to Spencer and the brunette had basically dismissed her to go to bed. It was a futile effort as Regina had lain awake thinking until the early hours of the morning. _Did she have a C-Section scar? I feel like I would have noticed._ Regina couldn’t remember. She remembered feeling all of Emma’s scars but- Regina had frozen. _Emma had intentionally stopped you from going down on her. Emma had hidden that scar from you._

She was trying to be rational. Regina knew that Emma’s past was clearly not good, and Regina realized she was being fairly hypocritical to think that the blonde had to share every moment of her past when Regina had not done the same. 

_Emma is allowed to tell me things in her own time. But, God, this is a child we’re talking about._

Her thoughts circled around to her own children. She felt guilty when she thought of Henry; she hadn’t spent nearly enough time with him lately. He had been watched by his friends parents probably more than she had watched him herself and that was just unacceptable. 

Still, thinking of Henry was easier than thinking of Ashley. _Oh my goofy wild child. How did we even get here?_ Regina glanced at the desk where the Cortagen documents still rested unsigned. 

_“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Yes you are.” Regina cooed down at her daughter. The baby sleeping in her arms had little brunette curls just like Regina’s. She had thought her hopes of ever having children had been dashed when the hospital told her that she wasn’t able to conceive. Regina was aware that no agency would let a single, workaholic mother adopt a child and she thought there was no hope._

_The irony of her sister being the one to save her from her depression._

_“You are so beautiful already.” Regina whispered. “You’re going to have brunette hair just like mine. I would have loved you so much no matter what hair colour you had, but I can’t deny that I was hoping you didn’t get your aunt Zelena’s red. Yes I was.” Regina pressed her lips gently against the baby’s head. “I love you so much. More than you could ever know. I’ll do everything I can for you baby girl. I’ll protect you always. I’ll always be there. I promise. You’re my baby girl, Ashley. Yes you are. My daughter.”_

Regina’s eyes welled with tears and she forced them down. _You cannot lose it now, Regina. Keep it together for just a little while longer._ She walked over to the Cortagen files even though she knew them by heart. She knew the programs and knew the facilities and all the amenities. She knew how much the facility cost and knew the name of the director and most of councillors. She had memorized all the facts and the statistics and she knew more about alcoholism and relapsing than she ever thought, ever hoped, she would have to know. She flipped the file open anyway. 

_“You’re just the best behaved girl on the planet, aren’t you? My wonderful girl.” Regina had the one year old girl in her arms and she smiled without fail every time Ashley did anything. When Ashley waved her hands or sat down or stood up or walked beside her while Regina held her hand Regina had never been happier._

_Whenever Ashley said the word momma Regina’s heart melted._

_“You’re so well behaved, my baby girl. I hope you stay just this agreeable.” Regina teased. “Yes I do, Ashley. I hope we never fight or disagree. And when you’re a beautiful, headstrong and stubborn teenager I hope you know all the disagreements we’re sure to have is just because I love you so, so much. So much.” Ashley babbled incoherently. “I’m glad you agree. That’s my girl.”_

Regina had a plan and she knew she should stick to it. Ashley would be home from school soon and then she would ask to speak to her. Regina would offer to go sit outside in the backyard so it didn’t seem so formal and serious. The thought of the chairs out back brought Regina up short as she pictured Emma. _Emma who has a child somewhere. Emma who is apparently very good at hiding things from me. No, don’t go there Regina. Don’t obsess over it. Don’t do anything rash. You have a plan._

The brunette paced some more but found herself standing in front of the desk within moments. _I said I would always do what I had to for my children. I know what Emma would do right now. But apparently Emma and I have very different ideas because I would never give up my child no matter how horrid or problematic the circumstances were. No, stop it, Regina. Don’t be judgmental. Don’t fall back on old habits. You can only focus on yourself right now. You know you’d do anything for your children._

Regina’s hands clenched the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles turned white. 

_“Are you a little sick, baby girl?” Regina worried over Ashley who was uncharacteristically fussing. Regina was trying not to be the panicking first time mom when her child had the sniffles…but her child was sick! Her baby, her girl who she had promised to take care of no matter what, was sick and Regina had never felt so helpless. “Hang on baby girl.” Regina quickly rushed to the bathroom to get the thermometer so she could check Ashley for a temperature. “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me baby girl.” Regina tried to calm the fussing baby down. “I’ll take you to the hospital even if everyone thinks its overkill and God help any person that gets in my way.” Regina picked Ashley up and held her to her chest to try and soothe her. “Shush now, baby. Momma’s got you. Momma’s right here. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, baby girl. I’ll do anything to help you, to keep you safe.”_

Regina knew her mayoral mask was slipping and in the safety of her study she let a tear slip down her cheek. She knew what she had to do. She had to do what felt right; and what would be the best thing for Ashley. 

For her daughter. 

The hand that picked up the pen was steady. Regina signed her name multiple times a day in her capacity as mayor. She could pen her signature without blinking or even batting an eye. But not very often did she sign her name in this capacity; sign it just as someone who cared. 

She gathered the documents after she had scrawled her name on all the appropriate lines. _And I will fax them over to Cortagen. Today._

_**_

Ashley paused down the street from Granny’s. She needed a second to breathe and gather herself and she didn’t want to get caught doing it through the front windows of the Diner. 

She had dressed for the occasion and looked like the Ashley Davies of old. Her ripped black jeans were skin tight and her red shirt, which twisted around her torso and shoulders, was artistically ripped in strategic places as well. Her leather bomber jacket was studded and spiked along the zippers and pockets and her favourite motorcycle boots gave her some height and some attitude. 

She felt like a rock star. 

The brunette pushed through the doors of Granny’s and didn’t stop her pace or glance around at all. “Ruby, what number?” She called over to the counter. 

“Number four.” The waitress answered as she poured a coffee without needing any clarification. “Good luck, girl.” 

Ashley hit the stairs that led up to the rooms and took them at a quick jog. _No chickening out, Davies. You gotta do this._ She was pounding on the door before she could hesitate. It took several moments for the door to open and when it did she found herself face to face with Zelena West. 

Her mother looked like she was in the process of getting ready to go out, or at least Ashley hoped that was the reason for the long robe the redhead wore, but she gave a blinding smile at the sight of her daughter. “Ashley, darling! Glad to see you. You should have called first though, we’d have met you somewhere a little more fun.” 

“Can I come in?” Ashley was blunt and almost already pushing her way past her mother. She saw Jefferson Davies immediately. He was laying on the bed, on top of the covers, and only wearing his leather pants. Ashley was surprised by how gaunt he looked. He had the body of someone who used to be fit and toned and then had stopped eating; and done too many drugs. He was barely moving and Ashley could see him staring blankly at the ceiling. “Oh my fucking God.” 

“I told you that you should have called first.” Zelena chuckled. “Don’t mind him, he’ll be fine in a few minutes.” 

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind my father who has clearly tripped down the rabbit hole? What’s he on, mother? Heroin? LSD? PCP?” 

“Never you mind.” Zelena waved a dismissive hand. “Relax and don’t be such a square for God’s sake. You sound like my sister.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Ashley snapped. She turned her back on the bed so she didn’t have to look at her father’s sallow and skeletal body anymore. “Look.” Ashley steeled her nerves. “I’m here to talk to you about MGen.” 

“Ah.” Zelena widened her smile. “Good, that means we can get the hell out of this town even sooner than we thought. This town,” Zelena started to rant as she rooted through her open suitcase, “is cursed, I swear to God. I’ve said it a thousand times, been saying it for years. Actually fucking cursed. Once you’re in this town it gets its hooks in you and then it won’t let you leave. I was drowning here, let me tell you. And you know I hate being in water.” Zelena chuckled at her own joke. “Hate this fucking town.” 

“Is that why you left me here?” Ashley hated that her voice had turned meek. 

“What?” Zelena seemed confused. 

“You stole me from Regina. You forced me on the road with you where the sight of my parents practically comatose from drug use was a regular occurrence and then you abandoned me. And you know what,” Ashley’s voice raised in her anger, “you abandoned me daily. You left me every day for drugs and your music.” 

“You know what that life is like.” Zelena straightened to her full height. “Your father and I are somebodies. You have the life you have, the things you have, everything you have is because of our lifestyle.” 

“Everything I have is because of Regina.” Ashley clenched her teeth. 

Zelena laughed. “I can’t believe this. Most children would be grateful to have lived the life you’ve lived. Who else can say they’ve partied with the greatest musicians of our age? Hmm? I really don’t see what you’re complaining about. This is what you want too. You share our dream, Ashley. This is your life too.” 

“This will never be my life.” Ashley’s eyes welled with tears. “If I’m ever tripping on drugs in a motel room while my own child pleads with me I’ll consider it lower than rock bottom. And I am nothing like you.” Ashley spat. 

“Oh no?” Zelena actually advanced a step on her. “The music is in your blood Ashley Davies. And you can’t do anything about that.” 

_Did she really just say that to me?_ “Davies might be in my blood.” Ashley stood tall. “But so is Mills. So is Regina.” The brunette now pointed a threatening finger and Zelena’s eyebrows rose in shock. “I am nothing like you. Would you like to know how much I will never be like you? I was spiraling out of control. I was alone and the two of you were all I could think about. I called a friend. One of my best friends, someone who is completely ride or die for me, something else you will never have experienced,” Ashley sneered, “to come and bring me a bottle of booze. I made him promise not to stop me and let me make my own mistakes. He opened the bottle and put it right in my hand.” Ashley blinked away her tears and made sure she was facing Zelena directly. “And I didn’t drink it. I put the cap back on and gave it back to him. Told him to get rid of it. And you want to know why? Because it turns out that one of the things stronger than my desire to drink is my desire to make sure I am nothing like _you_. My desire to make the people I love proud of me is stronger than my desire to drink.” 

The redhead tried to regain her balance. “You’re throwing away a free shot at a music career.” 

“I don’t want a free shot.” Ashley’s shoulders sagged. She wasn’t defeated; she was just through with this woman. “I want to fight for my music because it matters. I want to make music that matters. And I’ll do it the right way. Without any help from you.” Ashley’s eyes flickered over to the still mostly catatonic form of her father. “Or him.” 

Zelena’s look turned cold. “We gave you everything. We did everything for you,” 

“The only good thing you ever did for me was give me to Regina. Twice.” Instead of feeling like her heart was breaking, Ashley felt like a weight was lifting from her shoulders; from her soul. “Goodbye Zelena.” 

“That’s it? You can’t just walk away from me.” 

“Fucking watch me.” Ashley snapped. Her brown eyes, Regina’s eyes, blazed in fury. “You neglected me. You abused me. You have played mind games and passive aggressively tortured me since I can remember. It makes me sick to think I ever spent time wondering how I could make you love me. But I’m through trying. Neither one of you is even worth it.” Ashley gave her dramatic parting shot. “And don’t worry. When I make it big, when I show the world my music, my momma will be right there beside me.” Ashley strode from the room and didn’t even bother to slam the door behind her. 

Ashley cut through the back exit of the diner so she didn’t have to go through the restaurant. She knew her makeup would be a little smeared and it would be obvious she had been crying. People might be confused about the grin spreading across her feature though. 

_I’m going to make this is a good day. I’ll see Emma and talk to Spencer._

_And I have some things I need to say to Regina._

_**_

“Good job, Swan.” 

Emma looked up from the paperwork on her desk and saw Graham leaned in the doorway of the Sheriff’s office. “Hmm?” 

“Just saying good job for everything.” Graham’s arms were crossed and he leaned comfortably, giving her a slightly sheepish smirk. “You were right about the drug dealer having a boss, and I was wrong. You don’t have to be all modest about it.” 

“Right.” Emma afforded him a small smile. “Thanks Sheriff.” 

“And catching the arsonist on top of it.” Graham’s eyes flickered over to where Mark Planter sat despondent in the cell beside Frederick Knight that had until earlier been Spunk’s. “Very impressive.” 

“Team effort.” Emma shrugged. 

Graham snorted. “Please, I don’t need you to stroke my ego. You got Spunk to talk and figured out who the arsonist actually was. I was basically just your backup earlier and it turns out, you didn’t even need me.” 

The blonde turned her full attention to him. “Yeah. Well, I’m just happy that everything has worked out and that the town can go back to normal.” 

“Me too.” He gave his boyish grin and went to turn around. 

“Actually, there’s just one thing that still doesn’t make sense to me.” Emma remarked casually and Graham cocked an eyebrow. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that? Seems everything has been tied up nice and tight to me.” 

Emma gave a smirk of her own. “Oh yeah? Seems I’m the only one who hasn’t forgotten that someone broke into my house.” 

Graham looked puzzled. “Well it was obviously one of the three people we’ve arrested recently.” 

“See, I don’t think so.” Emma crossed her arms and mimicked his posture. “You want to know something real funny?” She smirked. “I thought it was you.” 

The Irish Sheriff barked out a laugh. “Me? Break into your house? Why would you think that?” 

“Because I thought _you_ were Spunk’s boss.” Emma deadpanned. “Yeah. The person controlling the drugs in this town? I thought it was you. I just couldn’t quite get the pieces to fit in my head. It didn’t make any sense. If you were the drug kingpin in town, then you had no reason to break into my house. You already had the drugs, I handed them directly to you, so it’s not like you broke into my house to try and get them back.” 

“There you go.” Graham gestured to her with a smile. “Makes no sense, you said so yourself. My money is on the Planter kid, personally.” 

“I don’t think so.” Emma narrowed her eyes. “Mark had no reason to mess with me or us until he needed a scapegoat for the arson fires. And besides, he cried at the thought of throwing that brick and scaring Spencer, and apologized to me for it. I feel like breaking into my house would have come up. And,” Emma continued before he interrupted her, “I know Spunk didn’t do it. And I don’t think Frederick had the talent. It took some skill to pick my lock like that. Professional skill.” 

Graham huffed and shifted. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, Swan. You already said, I had no motive and it makes no sense.” 

“It made no sense when I thought you were the drug kingpin. But we both know now that you’re not. See,” Emma uncrossed her arms and stepped closer, “I had you figured as this big bad in town. But you’re not are you? Really you’re more pathetic than that. You’re not Spunk’s boss, you’re one of his clients.” Emma watched him carefully as he tried not to blink. _He’s not even going to deny it. Son of a bitch._ “Turn around, hands behind your back.” 

Graham clenched his teeth. “Emma, no. Just wait, hear me out.” 

“I don’t care about your reasoning, Humbert. Turn around.” 

“Emma.” Graham’s eyes were wild. “Stop. You can’t do this to everyone. The town is still in shock from Fred. You can’t take away all their security. This would devastate everyone, Emma. We can both forget about this. I’ll be better, I swear.” 

“I _am_ thinking of the town. You’re the one who turned your back on them.” 

“You don’t understand. I can’t,” one of his hands clenched in his vest over his heart, “I can’t _feel_ …anything. I don’t feel anything. And…and what Spunk had…Emma it was the only thing that helped.” 

The blonde advanced a step and had to hold herself back. “You piece of shit. I don’t judge. I don’t care if you’ve got a problem or if you need help. You want to know what I care about? That you busted a kid for selling drugs and instead of figuring out the drug problem in your town, the town you were supposed to protect, you became a client instead. You scare the absolute shit out of the kid and make him feel like he can’t turn against Knight because he had nowhere to go and no one who would believe him. I care that you _broke into my home_ looking for leverage you could use to blackmail me and keep me in line. I care that you leaked official information about an investigation.” Emma practically snarled at him. “That was your biggest mistake, by the way. When you warned Spunk we were on to him and he changed his attitude, you overplayed your hand. Who else could have known and warned the kid but you? I don’t care that you need help. I care that you became who you swore to protect the town against because for whatever reason, probably your fucking pride, you chose not to get any help. Now turn around, hands behind your fucking back.” 

Graham drew his revolver and leveled it at Emma’s chest. He was breathing harshly and starting to sweat; Emma never took her eyes off him. 

“This is how far you’ve fallen? Pulling a gun on a fellow officer? You don’t want to do this, Graham.” 

“I’m not some kid you can talk down, Swan!” Graham’s eyes darted around. “Just back away, and let me get out of here.” 

“I can’t let you do that, Graham.” Emma was calm and never dropped her eye to the gun barrel pointing at her chest. “You don’t want to shoot me.” 

“No I don’t but I fucking will, I swear to God. Back away and let me out of here.” The more Graham darted his eyes around the more he reminded her of addicts she’d had the bounty of. 

“This is what makes you pathetic, Graham.” Emma sneered. She actually stepped closer and the gun in Graham’s hand wavered. “Not that you have an addiction. That you let that addiction control you. And you’re not a young kid. So what’s your excuse? God, can you even do this job anymore?” 

“Don’t fucking test me Em-” 

Emma struck without warning, grabbing the gun in one hand and moving it away from her chest and using her other arm to drive her elbow into Graham’s wrist. He grunted and flinched and Emma took the gun when his grip went slack. The Sheriff stumbled back a step and his eyes were nearly frantic. Emma was shaking her head at him. “What is it with people underestimating me lately?” Emma leveled the gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. 

Graham looked confused when nothing happened. 

“Do you really think I’d confront you while you had a loaded weapon? You leave your piece in your office unattended all the time. It wasn’t hard to discretely unload your gun.” Emma sat the gun down on the desk. “I just wanted to see if you’d actually pull it on me. I’ll add it to your list charges. Now,” Emma eyed the bigger man carefully, “are you going to turn around and put your hands behind your back, or are you going to make this even more difficult?” 

Graham dove for her. 

_**_

Spencer knew she was feeling dangerously off balance. 

For someone like her, someone with her issues, feeling upset and off balance was a very risky slope and ironically, she knew she was heading for a relapse. _The exact thing about Ashley that has started this entire thing._

She was trying her best to stay calm. She knew she had bailed out of school and that Ashley had been sweet but she just couldn’t stop thinking about Ashley likely having relapsed. Admitting her fears to Regina had frayed her nerves but she couldn’t change her belief that it was the right thing. _Ashley will be furious. She’ll feel so betrayed. Did I betray her? No. You told Regina you didn’t know for sure. You were just sharing your thoughts with someone else who cares about Ashley more than anything. Regina said she would speak to Ashley so you didn’t have to._ Spencer registered the bullet that Regina was offering to stand in the way of. Regina was allowing the situation so that Ashley’s anger would be directed at her instead of at Spencer. _How can anyone think Regina heartless or cold? Regina feels more than anyone else I know._

Spencer tried to take another calming breath but she couldn’t stop staring at her phone. _C’mon Spencer, don’t be one of those girls._ But Ashley should have been home from school by now. And when she had texted her Ashley had blown her off and said that she had something important to do. That had been almost a half an hour ago and Spencer was left staring at her phone for another message or some kind of clue that wasn’t coming. _What is something important? Why couldn’t she tell me? Don’t think the worst, Swan. Don’t do it._ But it was impossible; once she told herself not to think that way it was the only thing she could think about. 

The blonde was just reaching for her phone when she heard footsteps on the stairs and she cocked her head around. It wasn’t Henry; he had a tendency to run the stairs and it sounded like thunder, much to Regina’s chagrin. Regina herself was nearly silent and Emma hop-skipped the stairs in distinctive rhythm. This was a much steadier and borderline aggressive step. 

_Ashley._

Spencer remained still on her bed and waited to see if Ashley would pass her by on the way to her own bedroom. 

“Spence?” It was accompanied by a rapid knock and Spencer couldn’t help but release the breath she’d been holding. 

“Come in.” 

Ashley didn’t walk in; she bounded. Her smile was wide and she nearly skipped over to the bed. “Babe!” Ashley threw herself on the bed, causing both her and Spencer to bounce a little, and she quickly stole a smacking kiss to Spencer’s lips. The blonde could only blink and try to catch up; she felt like she’d been caught in an Ashley vortex. 

“You’re in a good mood.” Spencer tried not to sound disjointed about that. _But typically. I’m stressing about you relapsing to the point of making myself feel like setting the room on fire and you’re in a better mood than I’ve ever seen you._

“I am in a fabulous mood.” Ashley continued to smile and she flopped on the bed backwards and stretched out. “I’m having a fabulous afternoon.” 

Spencer’s face continued to drop. _Don’t begrudge Ashley her good mood, Swan, don’t do it._ But the last Ashley had seen Spencer the blonde had been leaving school with a headache and the brunette, in her joy, seemed unable to pick up on Spencer’s melancholy. “Oh really?” 

“Yes. You’ll never guess what I did. Guess.” 

“Ash…” 

“C’mon, Spence, take a guess.” Ashley teased and poked for Spencer’s ribs. “Just guess.” 

“I don’t know.” Spencer sighed. She blinked a few times as her headache started to return with a vengeance. “Did something crazy with Aiden and Madison?” 

Ashley laughed. “I did something crazy, all right.” _Is she doing this on purpose?_ Spencer’s hands shook a little and she curled them into fists as she got off the bed. Ashley gave her a puzzled look as she stepped away. “Babe?” 

“I’m sorry. I’ve just got a bad headache right now.” _Where the hell is Emma? God, normally she has like radar for when I’m feeling like this. I texted her and she still hasn’t replied, which is weird._

“Oh.” Ashley’s blinding grin faded one degree before she brightened. “Well, come here.” She patted her chest and gave an inviting smile. “I’ll cuddle you as long as you want until you’re feeling better.” 

Spencer jammed her hands inside her sweater pocket to further hide them from Ashley. _You’re hiding from her, just like you think she’s hiding from you._ “Ash, what crazy thing did you do?” 

The brunette waved her off. “I’d rather tell you later when you can get as pumped about it as I am. Don’t want to waste it when your head is bothering you.” 

_Waste it? What on earth does that mean?_ “Ash. I’m feeling a little stressed right now.” _That’s it, Swan, be honest and open. Try and communicate and get her to communicate back._

“Well that’s why I told you to come lay.” She patted the bed now. “I can help.” 

_You can help by talking to me, Ashley._ “Ash, what crazy thing did you do?” 

Ashley’s smile faded another degree. “I said I didn’t want to tell you right now Spencer. What’s gotten you a little out of joint?” 

Spencer’s jaw clenched as tight as her hands. “What’s gotten me out of joint? Are you kidding?” 

The brunette sat up on the bed and looked suspicious now. “No. I wasn’t kidding. Are we fighting right now? What even just happened?” 

“Nothing _just_ happened, Ashley. Things have been happening.” 

“What things?” 

Spencer laughed. “How unobservant do you take me for Ashley? Did you forget that I have impulse control issues too?” 

“I’m sorry.” Ashley stood from the bed. “I didn’t know we were talking about you.” 

“Because we’re always talking about you, is that it?” _Woah, Swan. Calm the fuck down. You’re letting your emotions get the better of you. You shouldn’t have said that. But Ashley’s face had already dropped._

“Well that felt a little personal.” Ashley snapped. “What is going on, seriously Spencer?” 

_Okay clearly you can’t do this right now, Swan. You need to get a hold of yourself before you do something stupid._ “I can’t do this right now, Ashley. My head is killing me, I just need a minute.” 

“Well, I’d like to know what’s going on right now.” Ashley was adamant. 

_Don’t lose it Swan. You need to gain control. You can’t relapse. You can’t go to that place. Calm down, Swan. Just breathe._

“Jesus, are you even listening to me?” Ashley snapped. “Some girlfriend.” 

Spencer’s eyes flashed. “Some girlfriend?” 

“Wait. I didn’t-” 

“Yeah, some girlfriend.” Spencer advanced a step and her voice was venomous. “Some shitty girlfriend to notice that you’re spiraling towards a relapse and still giving you space because you wanted to be alone and I trust and respect your decision. Some shitty girlfriend I am. Some completely terrible girlfriend to notice that you disappeared on the brink and came back on cloud nine without any explanation. A terrible girlfriend wouldn’t notice that today you’ve been the Ashley Davies of old and don’t seem to be struggling with your addiction at all. What a terrible girlfriend I am.” 

The blonde watched the emotions flit across Ashley’s face until she settled on indignant anger. “You think I relapsed? That’s what this is about? How about you talk to me about it Spencer!” 

“You didn’t want to talk!” _Did she forget she literally just said that?_ “You didn’t want to talk to me, what was I supposed to do! I care about you Ashley! Regina cares about you! And we just-” 

“You told Regina?” Ashley’s voice was like ice and it cut through Spencer’s own affronted anger. Ashley’s expression shuttered closed and she pulled up a mask Spencer hadn’t seen her wear in a while; Spencer felt something in her chest crack. “Do you even know what happens to me if Regina thinks I’ve relapsed?” Ashley stalked for the door without looking at Spencer again. She spoke once more over her shoulder though. “I will never forgive you for this.” 

_**_

Ashley wasn’t exactly sure how she had ended up outside in the backyard. Part of her had wanted to flee the mansion entirely but she didn’t think she was capable of driving and her legs had felt like jelly and she didn’t think she would get very far on foot either. 

_What in the actual fuck just happened?_ Ashley felt like she had had her favourite balloon popped or something. Her mood travelling from so high to so low had left her reeling. And wanting a drink. 

_Fucking ironic isn’t it._

“Those look like some pretty deep thoughts.” 

Ashley was startled by the voice but she tried not to react. This was probably the only person that she could handle talking to right now anyway. She didn’t look up from her position curled up in the Adirondack chair though. “No deep thoughts.” Ashley answered Emma quietly. “You talk to Spencer?” 

“I saw her. She was mediating upstairs and thought I should come and talk to you first.” Emma replied and she moved around the brunette and settled into the other chair. 

Ashley was surprised but masked it with anger. “Yeah well I’m mad at her. And if she thinks- woah what happened to your face?” Ashley leaned forward to get a closer look at the black eye that was blossoming on Emma’s face. The mark was already dark purple with tinges of blue and green and looked like it would be a doozy of a bruise. 

Emma smirked. “Somebody didn’t want to be arrested. They got a good shot in but don’t worry, nothing I couldn’t handle. You should see him.” The blonde teased to diffuse the tension. When Ashley said nothing more Emma sighed. “We haven’t run or talked in a while. We should do that.” 

“Run? Or talk?” 

“Both. Apparently we have quite a few things to talk about.” 

_God I don’t want to talk about Spencer. I can’t. I’ll break down and I can’t do that in front of Emma._ “Like what?” 

“Spencer told me that she told you the truth about us. About our past.” 

Ashley’s jaw dropped. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Emma was gazing out into the yard. “Oh.” 

_Shit, fuck, what do I say? C’mon Davies, find something to say!_ “Um.” 

Thankfully Emma took the lead. “How do you feel about what Spencer told you?” 

“Which part?” Ashely stalled. Emma arched an eyebrow like she knew what the brunette was doing. 

“Any part.” 

“I feel…” _C’mon Davies, use your words,_ “angry.” 

“At us?” 

“No!” Ashley almost leapt from her seat. “God, no! At them! At the fucking _animals_ who treated you and Spencer like that. God they deserved what they got.” 

Emma sighed deeply. “Okay, Ash. Listen up. Listen to me carefully cause I’m going to tell you straight and treat you like an adult. Can you do that?” 

Ashley had always appreciated the way Emma treated her. “Yeah. I’m listening.” 

“Life is important, okay? Any type of killing is wrong. Taking somebodies life is…something that never leaves you. Those people never leave you. Some believe in the death penalty, they think that some crimes are so bad those people deserve death. I don’t agree. There’s no lesson in death. It’s too final. The worst of people should be made to live with their choices and not escape them in death. That’s my personal belief.” Emma touched her chest. “You don’t have to agree. But what I want you to understand is that I don’t believe there’s any good reason to kill someone. To sink to their level. People deserve punishment, yes of course, but death is too easy. When we…when I…killed them…killed our foster parents…I wasn’t intending to kill them. Death wasn’t my intention it was just the result. That doesn’t make it okay. That is still something that lives with me and will continue to live with me forever. I can never forget, nor move on, from the fact that intended or not, that’s a line that I have crossed. That I can never uncross.” Emma finally looked at Ashley again. “I didn’t want that for you. I didn’t want you to ever know I was capable of crossing that line.” 

“Emma.” Ashley tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. “I would have crossed that line too.” 

The blonde looked pained. “Oh god, Ashley, don’t even say that. You don’t know what you would do when faced with that line, and I will do everything in my power for the rest of my life to make sure you never even have to see that line.” She sighed and tried to gather herself. “Ashley you’ve taken on a lot of weight.” 

“Weight like baggage?” 

Emma actually cracked a smile. “Yes. You’ve taken on the weight of our baggage. And again, that’s a weight I never wanted you to bare. Knowing that Spencer has her own issues with impulse control will now colour all your interactions with her. So will knowing about our past of abuse and the fact that when pushed, I was capable of killing them. I didn’t want you to be coloured by that. I wanted you to just see us.” 

“But I do see you.” Ashley’s voice was vehement. “I know you better now. My opinion and view might be coloured but it’s coloured in a good way. I know who you both are. And knowing your history doesn’t change that. I promise.” 

“I know you believe that, kid. And that means a lot to me, it does. Our abuse, our past. That’s one thing. But the weight of knowing what happened with our foster parents…that’s a heavy weight, Ash. Killing for any reason is not something to be taken lightly. Ever. I know how heavy that is. And it’s something I hope doesn’t start to bring you down.” 

“It won’t.” Ashley had never been more sure of anything. Emma really was the saviour. And the fact that she couldn’t see it just made it even more so. “I’ll prove it to you.” Ashley promised. 

“We’ll see, kid.” Emma remarked but her eyes were grateful. “Any time you want to talk, or need to talk, you come to me.” 

“You got it.” Ashley thought they’d sit in silence but Emma chimed up again. 

“So. What happened with Spencer?” 

Ashley scowled instantly. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Tough, we’re talking.” 

“She basically accused me of relapsing!” Ashley hissed suddenly. “I would never do that to her!” 

Emma arched an eyebrow. “She’s upstairs mediating to try and regain some perspective and calm down and you haven’t even considered that she might have been close to relapsing?” 

“Wait- what?” 

“Relapsing isn’t a dirty word, kid. It’s not a sin. It’s a fact of addiction. Not to be met with ridicule or judgement, but comfort and support.” 

“I know that.” Ashley didn’t sound very sure. 

“You do? Okay. So did you relapse?” 

Ashley sighed. “No. I didn’t. But…I was close. I had Aiden bring me a bottle of Jack.” 

“Why?” 

“I wanted to prove I wasn’t like my parents.” Ashley admitted softly. “That I wasn’t anything like them. I had Aiden bring me a bottle just to see if I could turn it down.” 

“And you did?” 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s amazing, Ashley.” 

“Yeah. I came home feeling great. Apparently so great Spencer thought I relapsed.” 

“And that’s a bad thing?” 

“Well,” Ashley tried to find her words. She couldn’t. “Yeah, it is.” 

“Why? You left spiraling out, Ash, and came back feeling ecstatic. If your joy came from resisting temptation why didn’t you tell her?” 

“Because!” 

“Because why?” 

Ashley scowled. “Because I didn’t want her to know that I had been so close to relapsing.” 

“I thought you knew that relapsing wasn’t a dirty bad thing?” 

The brunette’s scowl deepened. “Stop twisting my words.” 

“I’m just saying what you’ve told me. What happened tonight?” 

A fledgling smile crossed her features as she remembered. “I kicked my parents out of my life.” She enjoyed the surprise and pride that flickered across Emma’s features. “Yup. Told them off. Told them to stop using me. Told them I was done.” 

“And you came home in another good mood.” 

“Amazing mood. And Spencer ruined it.” 

“What mood was Spencer in when you arrived?” 

“What?” 

Emma repeated the question. “The last you saw her she’d left the school with a bad headache. When you saw her next what was her mood like?” 

Ashley stayed quiet because she didn’t want to admit that she didn’t know. Emma seemed to already know the answer anyway. 

“Sometimes it sucks, Ashley. When you’re in an amazing mood and your significant other isn’t. Sometimes the person will have to put aside their bad mood to be happy for the other. And sometimes the happy one will have to put aside their good mood to comfort their partner. Which do you think is easier to do?” 

Again Ashley didn’t answer. “She told Regina that I relapsed.” 

“I thought she told Regina that she thought you _might_ have relapsed.” 

“What’s the difference? She still ratted me out!” 

“Don’t sound like a child if you don’t want to be treated like one.” Emma chided. “Yes, she might have done things differently, but so could you. And you should know that her actions come from a place of caring. A blind idiot could tell how much she cares about you.” 

Ashley pouted. “She knows what this means for me. I’m still pissed.” 

“Then stay pissed.” Emma shrugged. “But where does that get you?” Ashley gave no answer and Emma stood and touched the brunette’s shoulder gently as she headed back inside. 

Ashley didn’t tap her feet or her fingers as she heard no music. The night was silent. 

_**_

Regina was still hiding in her study. She had heard Emma come home and she didn’t begrudge the blonde the fact that she went to check on the kids first. _Checking on Spencer and Ashley. Seeing what’s going on with the children is something a mother would do. So why didn’t she tell me that she actually_ is _a mother? That she has a child somewhere?_

“Gina?” She heard Emma’s voice from the kitchen where she’d apparently been looking for her. 

“In the study.” Regina tried to look busy at the desk. 

“Okay,” Emma’s voice got closer, “I just want to say first that I’m perfectly fine and,” 

Regina’s head snapped up at the words. “Oh my God, Emma.” Regina took in the spectacular bruise and was on her feet instantly. Emma was already reaching for her. 

“I’m fine, babe, I promise.” 

“This doesn’t look fine.” Regina’s voice came out sharp in her fear. She gently cradled Emma’s face and looked at the contusion. _Oh god, you’ve had far too many bruises in your lifetime darling._ “This looks like you’ve been punched.” Rage started to twist Regina’s insides. _The person who did this will pay._ “Who punched you?” 

Emma sighed. Clearly the blonde knew better than to hedge her answer. “Graham.” 

Regina blinked. “ _Graham_? Sheriff Graham Humbert?” 

“The very same.” Emma’s eyes were half closed as Regina stroked the blonde’s face gently. Her hands were tender even as Regina grew furious. 

“How did this happen?” It was a demand. 

“I figured out why the drug problem in the town was so bad.” 

“Graham was helping Frederick?” Regina guessed instantly. Emma gave a wry grin. 

“No, but that was my first thought too. He was actually one of Spunk’s clients. Addicted to drugs to numb the pain, or to feel something, or something like that.” 

Regina’s hands continued to gently stroke Emma’s face but her mind had spiraled. _How did you so completely lose control Regina? How did you let this happen? How did you not know?_ “But you’re okay?” Regina scanned Emma’s body for any other evidence of injury. 

“I’m perfectly okay. I tried to arrest him and he resisted. One good punch but it was okay.” 

The brunette scowled. “He’s done for.” Regina had never meant anything more. “I’ll crush him.” 

“He’s already done.” Emma’s hands came up to circle Regina’s waist. “Think no more of him.” 

_Think no more of him? I didn’t know that the high school gym teacher and the sheriff were criminals. Apparently I have no control whatsoever in my town. How could I let this happen?_

“Stop it.” 

Regina met Emma’s stare confused. “Stop what?” 

“Please. I can see you thinking. This isn’t your fault, okay? There’s nothing you could have done. There was no way you could have known. About any of it. People have secrets and they’re good at keeping them.” 

Regina stepped backwards slightly out of the circle of Emma’s arms. _People have secrets alright._

“What’s the matter? Gina?” 

“I have something to tell you.” Regina practically whispered. She tried to pull her mayoral mask on but it took effort and Emma watched on concerned. 

“Talk to me.” Emma stepped closer again and Regina retreated to her desk. 

“Before when strangers have come to town I’ve had Sidney Glass check into them.” Regina was blunt. “I didn’t specifically ask him to do the same for you but he went ahead and did it anyway.” It was impossible to miss how much Emma had stiffened. 

“Glass checked into my background?” 

“He did. He brought everything he had found to me in a large file. I never read it.” 

Emma pulled on a mask of her own. “You have a file on me.” Green eyes flickered over to the desk where the manila folder rest on top. “You’ve read it now?” 

“No. I,” Regina faltered, “it was an accident. I was throwing the file out because I didn’t need it. I trusted our relationship, Emma. But the folder spilled and I couldn’t help but read something.” 

“What did you read?” Emma’s voice was emotionless. 

Regina’s eyes narrowed. “Shouldn’t you already know what I read? How many secrets do you have, Emma?” 

“What did you read?” Emma asked the question slower and Regina met her stare for a second. 

“It was a medical file. It said you had an emergency C-section.” Regina watched Emma carefully but the blonde didn’t react outwardly at all. Regina could read nothing in green eyes that she thought she had gotten so good at reading. 

“Okay.” 

Regina blinked. “That’s it? Okay?” 

“What do you want me to say?” Emma’s voice was flat. 

_What on earth?_ “What do I want you to say? I want to talk about this. I want to discuss the fact that you had a baby, Emma.” 

“I don’t.” The blonde spoke in that same deadened voice. “This isn’t something I brought up because I was ready. You invaded my privacy and found out something very personal about me because you read it in a file.” 

“It was an accident.” Regina was starting to get her back up. 

“Was it?” Emma wasn’t even smirking. “How did that happen? Did you throw out the file the second you got it?” Emma must have seen the truth before Regina could hide it. “No? Why not, Regina? Thought you might need to take a peek at it at a later date?” 

“No, okay.” _God why_ didn’t _I get rid of that Godforsaken file?_ “There was just…circumstances…” 

“I’m sure there were.” Emma turned to leave. 

“Don’t you dare.” Regina snapped. “We don’t leave. You don’t run anymore, remember?” 

“I didn’t think you’d invade my privacy like this and then have the gall to bring it up to me.” 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Regina struggled to get the words out. “But now…I need to talk about it, Emma. I need to know.” 

“No you don’t.” For the first time there was fire in Emma’s eyes. “You don’t need to know, you just want to.” 

“I can’t stop thinking about it, Emma. How…how can you not think about it?” 

Emma whirled around so fast Regina startled. “Don’t you _ever_ presume to know what I think about it.” 

“How am I supposed to know if you don’t talk about it? Emma…god, you had a baby.” _Does she not know what I would have done to biologically have a child? To actually birth my own babies? I’d have done anything._ “I just don’t understand. Help me understand.” 

“There’s nothing to understand.” 

“Emma. Please. I just,” Regina knew she was starting to lose it, “I can’t help but think about it. I know how bad…how bad your childhood was and I can’t imagine how you would even let the possibility of your child being in the same circumstances happen.” 

“Regina.” The brunette flinched because Emma had never said her name like that before. “You are crossing a line. I’m warning you.” 

Regina automatically bristled under the threat. “Emma, we could find the baby.” Regina was already picturing the child. A little girl just like Emma…or a little boy with her mannerisms and her tastes and her smile. “We could do that now. Things are different, your life is different.” 

“Stop. Now.” Emma left the study and Regina trailed after her. 

“Emma, I know you did everything you could at the time but we can do more now.” Regina couldn’t stop. All she had wanted was a child and she couldn’t stop thinking about the one that Emma had clearly given up. “Just think about it, somewhere out there, you could have a little boy. A boy in who knows what kind of family situation, who maybe doesn’t even yet know he was adopted, or maybe he’s going to start looking for you. Maybe he wants to know who his biological mother is and he wishes he could find you. Maybe his dream is to find you.” 

“Stop it.” Emma was heading for the front door. 

“I just want to help.” Regina tried. “Emma, this isn’t something we can just forget. This is a child. Maybe we can find him and help him.” 

“Enough!” Emma opened the front door. “There is no little boy. It’s Spencer.” Regina’s jaw dropped. “The child I had is Spencer.” Emma looked completely disgusted with Regina. “Are you happy now?” Regina tried to speak but no words actually came out. “I am never going to forgive you for this.” The blonde slammed the door when she left. 

Regina was left staring at the closed door as silence fell. 


	20. Time Changes

**Three Months Later:**

Spencer idly checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror as she washed her hands. She knew that there would be some people dressed and doled to the nines tonight but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to be all that bothered while she’d been getting ready. She knew she looked nice at least. Her jeans were tight and white, her black blouse showed off her figure and she’d borrowed one of Emma’s black leather jackets. Her shoes, high heeled but barely, were bright red and gave her just a touch of colour. She’d straightened her hair, mostly due to a lack of any other ideas, and one side was tucked behind her ear. 

She’d come straight to the bathroom when she’d arrived because she thought she needed an extra moment before dealing with the crowd; and there was sure to be one. She could practically feel it from where she stood; it was like a pulsing energy that radiated outwards and caught everyone in its path. 

Spencer heaved a sigh. She could already hear them. “Show time.” 

** 

It was dead quiet. Ashley wasn’t used to such quiet. Normally there was always music. Whether it was playing out loud, or it was the kind of music nature played, or it was just in her head, Ashley always heard music. Though not hearing anything now was almost a relief. Her hands tightened on the rim of the sink and her knuckles went white. She stared at her own reflection and wondered what everyone else saw. _Did they see the great Ashley Davies, musical prodigy? Did they see the degenerate alcoholic just like her parents? Or did they see who she was trying to become?_

“You’ve got five minutes left.” A voice called from behind the bathroom door as they simultaneously knocked. 

Ashley was still getting used to the schedule. She felt like she was in prison; however long she had actually been here she couldn’t pinpoint but it felt like longer. She stared herself down in the mirror for one more second. She didn’t bother to waste her breath and actually say out loud that she was coming. _Of course I am. Where else would I go?_ Ashley waited until she blinked and broke the spell to move. 

** 

Emma sat with one of her feet up on the dash and the other was mindlessly tapping out a staccato rhythm. _How much time have I spent in this car?_ Emma wasn’t even sure now. She was positive she could recite every single detail of this car with her eyes closed. She knew where each tear was and every pull in the stitching. She knew that the best speed to coast at was 23 miles an hour and how the brakes squeaked when applied first thing in the morning. 

_How many times has this car been my hideout?_ Even Emma couldn’t deny that she was hiding. She knew she had to make an appearance soon but she was already dreading it. 

She tried to change the radio station but received only static. _Typical._ Now she was just stalling. She knew walking in alone would be the hardest part. 

Emma glanced over and thumbed the resignation letter that was sitting on the passenger’s seat. 

** 

Regina checked her makeup in her compact handheld and made sure everything was perfect. Recently she’d been struggling to wield her mayoral mask as effortlessly as she’d used to but tonight everything had to go her way. She’d fallen back into old habits in the nights leading up to tonight and everything would be perfect. 

_Everything will be perfect or so help me God._

The brunette was trying not to think too far ahead. She knew exactly what she needed to do this evening and she had a mental list and had taken steps so that everything would go according to plan. 

_That’s all you can control, Regina. The plan. That’s all you have._

Pushing any and all emotions away Regina finished her makeup and put her mirror away satisfied. 

_Just stick to the plan._

** 

Spencer plastered a smile on her face once she hit the hallway. She knew that was her job tonight; to look calm and relaxed and unfazed even though she was nervous and felt slightly sick. She wasn’t reaching for it yet but she knew the Zippo lighter Emma had gotten for her to replace the original that had been lost was in her jacket pocket. 

The blonde wasn’t even close to the gymnasium yet but it was already loud. It seemed that everything had gone according to plan and nearly the entire town had shown up tonight and packed themselves into the high school. 

Flyers had papered the town seemingly overnight several weeks ago and Spencer still felt a flash of hurt, and anger, every time she laid eyes on them. She understood the reasoning behind it all but it still felt like a slap in the face. 

Regina and her team had done a good job tonight as well. There was a banner over the entrance doors to the gym that declared “Talent Shows” and for the most part the decorations were suitable and not too tacky. Spencer knew she would have to find Regina at some point in the evening and tell her that everything looked amazing. Spencer showed her pre-paid for ticket to one of the parent volunteers and dropped another ten dollars in the donation boxes. Most of the students had begged extra money from their parents to donate because they knew their school dances were riding on the outcome of the talent shows. Spencer didn’t altogether care about the dance now. 

It seemed like every chair the school, if not the town, had was crammed into the gym and facing the stage. The front several rows were all already taken by parents who had children from the elementary school performing because they were slated to go first. Spencer slipped into an unobtrusive seat along the aisle. 

She knew that the first talent show was going to be in a classic talent show style. There were at least 8 acts because the teacher for each grade had been required to put together something with their entire class so that each student participated. Then any student that had a particular talent, and permission from their parents, could sign up to go again. The blonde assumed that maybe with the exception of the oldest grades the acts were more designed to be cute than amazing. 

When it was the high school students turn, things were going to be different. All of the front rows of chairs were going to be removed and everyone was going to mingle out front in more of a concert audience style than a sit down. Even the students who had yet to perform could come down and mingle and watch the other acts. 

“Spencer.” 

The blonde looked up at her name and gave a genuinely warm smile to Ruby and Dorothy. “Hey, guys.” 

“Girl, your hair looks fabulous. You finally did it.” Ruby gushed. Spencer blushed a little bit and ran her hand through her blonde hair; now sporting several prominent streaks of blue. Several pieces underneath were dyed a very dark, almost midnight blue colour, and then the streaks up top were a lighter sky blue shade. 

“I did.” Spencer ran her fingers through her hair again. “Felt like it was time. Needed a change.” Spencer bit her tongue when she thought she’d said too much but both women just nodded. 

“Rubes is right, it looks fabulous.” Dorothy seemed to notice her nerves. “You ready for this?” 

Spencer sensed the question under the actual question. She was starting to know Dorothy a little bit better due to their somewhat frequent meetings for coffee to discuss books and writing. The brunette might not always ask exactly what she meant but if you were paying attention her meaning was usually clear. “As I’ll ever be, I suppose.” She arched an eyebrow at Ruby. “I’m surprised you’re here early. Or here at all actually.” 

Ruby rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion. “It took me weeks to convince Granny that it would be pointless, and actually cost her money, to stay open during this because everybody would be here. I was ready to go the second the “Closed” sign flipped around. 

“It’s true.” Dorothy gave Ruby a look that was both teasing and affectionate. “She was waiting at the curb.” 

“She was being slow.” Ruby corrected. “So uh,” Ruby glanced around, “I can’t help but notice that someone is still missing.” 

Spencer’s smile was frozen in place. “Yeah.” The blonde didn’t know what else to say. Dorothy watched her carefully but Ruby obviously felt bad for bringing it up. 

“Right. Anyway, we should go find Belle and Mary-Margaret. Enjoy the show tonight Spence. And your hair really does look amazing.” 

“Thanks.” Spencer waved them both off and took a deep breath when no one was watching. _Well. If things should get even worse, at least my hair looks good._

** 

Regina was, for the moment, in her element. Her mask was up, her tone was commanding and she had an entire dozen workers and volunteers to beckon and order at her whim. It was extremely important to her that this event go off without a hitch. 

She had planned for every possibility and rechecked things she had already triple checked just to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. _Not tonight. This, I can actually control. And so I will._

“Everything looks good and ready to go backstage.” Kathryn’s voice interrupted her visual inspection of the area. She managed a smile for her blonde friend though she didn’t quite drop her mask. 

“Good. Are the students excited?” It was asked almost as an afterthought. Regina had to remind herself that this event was still for the children. 

“It’s about half and half nervous or excited. Most of the high schoolers are okay. They wouldn’t have signed up if they really didn’t want to. Some of the little ones are very nervous so we let some of the parents go back there.” 

“Good, that’s good.” Regina turned her visual inspection over to Kathryn. Her hair had been cut into a different style recently, shortened and worn with some ringlets and a cute side bang. She no longer sported the dazed, haunted look that had befallen and become the norm for the principal. Some life had returned to her face and her eyes and Regina had been delighted to see it. Kathryn was the only person to whom this event meant even more to them than Regina. “And how are you doing?” 

Regina knew how much Kathryn had struggled. How difficult it had been facing the faculty and the students after news of Frederick’s arrest, and his crimes, had become town gossip. Kathryn had held her head high and accepted the judging looks and the scathing remarks and put all of her energy into cleaning up her schools and helping her students. 

“I’m good.” Kathryn, for once, didn’t sound like she was lying. “I’m excited about the event and how happy it’s making the kids. I want them all to perform perfectly.” 

“How could they not?” A smooth voice spoke up from behind Kathryn. “With you in their cheering section.” 

Kathryn instantly reached out a hand and the gesture seemed automatic. Regina still didn’t know how to take her best friend’s new guardian. Or guard dog more like. On the first day Kathryn had to return to school after official news had hit the Daily Mirror Kathryn had been about to crumble when Cruella de Vil had simply walked up to her and glared at everyone else until they’d fled from her stare. 

In all of her years knowing Cruella, and since they’d gone to school together she’d known her for quite a long time, Regina had never seen Cruella come to anyone’s aid or defence before. The tall, fierce woman had actually left Storybrooke for several years but had returned before accepting the position as English teacher at the high school. No one really knew what had happened to her while she’d been away and she never talked about it herself. Regina couldn’t fathom what made Cruella change her tune to become Kathryn’s staunchest supporter, and defender, but Regina couldn’t deny that the outcome had been positive for Kathryn. 

“You’re too sweet.” Kathryn smiled and linked her arm around the elbow of the taller, black and white haired woman. 

Cruella glared down at her. “Don’t say things like that where people can hear you, darling.” Cruella drawled the word darling but it was spoken seriously and Kathryn didn’t seem to be surprised by it. 

_Just how much time have those two been spending together?_ Regina knew it was a lot but perhaps she should schedule a wine date with her best friend to get the scoop anyway. 

“Say Regina,” Kathryn leaned forward like now she really didn’t want people to overhear them, “have you um, heard from her by any chance?” 

“No.” Regina’s mask was now back up under full force. “No, I haven’t, and I don’t really expect to either. Not after our last conversation. Now, if you’ll excuse me I really should finish preparing for the start of the event.” Regina turned and left Kathryn in Cruella’s apparently capable hands. 

** 

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding.” 

Spencer steeled her nerves to look up at the beautiful Latina. She felt the urge to stand because when seated Madison towered over her. Madison was still wearing her street clothes, tight black jeans and a fitted blue blouse, so Spencer figured she hadn’t even started to warm up yet. She didn’t know how long the first talent show for the elementary school kids was supposed to last but she could gather it would take a while. Both of Madison’s acts, for the dance team and the cheerleading squad, were also sure to be scheduled near the end as they were both highly anticipated routines. 

“I haven’t been hiding.” Spencer insisted. “I’ve been right here.” She gestured to her seat. 

Madison arched an eyebrow that said she knew Spencer had purposefully misinterpreted her words. “Mhmm. I wouldn’t want to be here either if I was you. Thank God I’m not though.” Madison flipped her hair and Spencer had to chuckle as she rolled her eyes. 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“Any time.” Madison smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. _God she’s so extra._ “So.” From her tone Spencer could already tell that something blunt was coming. “Someone of note is rather absent at the moment and that bitch ain’t texting me back.” 

Spencer swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I don’t know what you expect me to tell you.” _God I shouldn’t have come. What am I even doing here?_

“Uh-huh.” Madison looked Spencer up and down very obviously. “You seem like you’re doing alright though.” 

“Thank you?” 

Madison smirked. “Any time bitch.” With that Madison turned, dramatically fanning her hair out behind her, and strut away with her hips swaying. “And the hair looks good Swan.” She called without looking. 

Spencer had to smile and shake her head again. _A real compliment. Who knew?_ Madison was definitely something else. 

The lights dimmed and everyone in the vicinity took that as the sign that the show was about to start. 

The blonde prepared herself for an hour of little kids doing skits and attempting to sing and wondered, for the twelfth time, what the hell she was doing here. 

** 

[You’ve totally missed the start by the way.] 

Emma glanced at the text message from Spencer and only felt a smidgeon of guilt. She had moved from stalling and hiding in her car to stalling and hiding while leaned up against the brick wall. Her reasons for dragging this out were pretty simple; she didn’t want to see _her_ and she didn’t want to be accosted by _them_. 

[I’m almost there. Save me a seat.] Emma typed quickly and sent it to Spencer; the twinge of guilt returned with a little more force. 

The evening was bleak, though not raining yet, and Emma watched the clouds darken until her phone vibrated in her hand. 

[I know you’re in the parking lot. Get your ass in here.] Another message immediately followed the first. [I’m in here alone! Leave no man behind!] 

That made Emma laugh. She could always count on Spencer. [Try and hide from enemy fire. Back-up ETA 5 minutes.] Emma gave herself an extra minute or two to gather herself and actually make it through the building until she could find Spencer. _Actually, might as well make it easy on myself._ [Send GPS coordinates of location for strike team.] 

She could imagine Spencer’s smirking face and, like always, the ball of anxiety in the pit of her stomach loosened somewhat. 

[Left hand side, aisle seat, 14 rows in.] 

Emma geared herself up like she was actually going into battle. _Hell, depending on who I run into on the way I just might be._

** 

Spencer had felt more relaxed and at ease the second Emma had slunk into the seat beside her. Suddenly watching young kids sing out Old MacDonald while wearing farm animal costumes was a little more amusing and enjoyable. Watching several young girls wearing tutus and putting on a simple ballet performance was cute instead of juvenile. Listening to a slightly off key rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow produced smiles instead of grimaces. 

But the lights came back up and everyone stood to clap and Spencer knew her night was going to change. For the elementary school show there were no actual prizes or places given, Spencer assumed because they wanted to make the little kids all feel like winners, so it didn’t take very long for them to come out and bow and then move along. Within moments people were out of their chairs, Regina’s minions were clearing space at the front of the stage and a generic soft rock radio station was playing through the speakers. “Well that was fast.” Spencer couldn’t help but comment. 

“I’m sure she was cracking the whip.” Emma’s eyes rolled and Spencer knew to fall silent. “Okay kid.” Emma heaved a deep sigh. “I’ve got something I’ve got to go do.” 

Spencer eyed her carefully and took note of her clenched hands and how she nearly vibrated with tension. “You’re not…going to do what I think you’re going to do are you?” The younger blonde couldn’t help but try one more time. 

“Spencer. Not now.” Emma’s voice was tinged with sadness and Spencer, once again, fell silent so she didn’t start an argument. Or rather, re-start an argument that had been billowing back and forth between them for weeks. 

“Okay. I’ll catch you later.” 

Emma gave her grateful look. “Wish me luck.” 

Spencer did no such thing and watched Emma attempt to slink away unnoticed in the dim lights. The younger blonde was forced to stand as well when someone came to take her chair away out from under her if need be. 

“Figured I’d find you hiding somewhere.” 

Spencer was already reaching her arms up, way up, to wrap around his neck before she’d even responded. “Aiden.” His name was basically breathed into his sweater. His arms came around her and he held her tightly. 

She was standing on her tiptoes and only after an extended moment that went on far longer than considered friendly and polite did Spencer drop her arms and take a half step back. “Why does everyone keep saying that? I’m not hiding.” 

“Okay. How you feeling?” 

_God I love him for that._ Aiden never judged or prodded. His presence was like a pillar of strength, quiet in a storm, and Spencer didn’t know what she would do without him standing at her back. “Somewhere between antsy and wanting to repeatedly light matches.” Spencer said truthfully. “You?” 

He shrugged. “Somewhere between tired and bummed out.” 

“Well that’s alright.” Spencer grinned. His answer two days ago had been “somewhere between idiotic and abused child”. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you here.” 

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you either. Since, well, you know.” Aiden rubbed his arm awkwardly and chose to just keep talking. “I’m here with Peter, I convinced him to come.” 

“How is Gold?” Two months ago Spencer wouldn’t have asked the question with genuine curiosity and concern. 

“Same as me, I guess.” Aiden shrugged again. “Dealing.” 

Aiden had opened up to Spencer, and she to him in return, but she still felt pained at the thought of what the boys had gone through. Aiden had thought he was the only player on the team who was receiving the extra drug treatment as that was what his coach had told him. Aiden, in the quiet of Storybrooke’s streets late at night as they took their walks, admitted to feeling so stupid now looking back on the entire several year long ordeal. He tried to explain the mind games and the seemingly innocuous threats that Frederick had made but he could never get the wording right. It was that, more than anything, which let Spencer know just how deeply Knight had had his hooks into the team. 

It came as a surprise to Spencer when Aiden had asked her to meet him and she had gone, without question, only to find Peter Gold present as well. The boys had found out, through the news as well as the beginning stages of trial, that they were not alone and in fact had been one of many to be taken advantage of by the coach. Spencer had been even more shocked when Peter had thanked her. “You taking me out in gym class was like the best thing that happened to me.” He had admitted grudgingly. “Frederick tried hard to get me back on the team but it was a no go because of Mills.” Peter had shrugged and rolled his eyes. “He didn’t bother wasting his time on me if I couldn’t play.” He occasionally joined Aiden and her when they hung out and though he was still rude and crass Spencer was beginning to enjoy his dark sense of humour and surprising childishness; though she had no problems taking him down a peg when he went too far. 

Spencer couldn’t believe the stress that Aiden, her kind hearted and gentle giant of a friend, had been under. Although Aiden was quick to remind anyone who would listen, like the good person he was, that whatever they had gone through was nothing compared to what Spunk had endured. Aiden had known Spunk was the messenger for the drugs of course, though he had been bullied and threatened into silence about that as well. Frederick rarely handed out drugs himself, only in the locker-room, and every other time the job of delivery boy fell to Spunk. 

Spunk had once, drunkenly and on the verge of nervous breakdown, admitted to Aiden the pressure he was under and the insane quotas that Fred placed on him to sell. Aiden hadn’t known who else to turn to except his best friend and party girl extraordinaire Ashley Davies. 

Spencer had felt sick and slightly nauseous as Aiden had told her and talked about Ashley. 

While Spunk didn’t know the reason, and Spencer and Aiden could only presume, Ashley had taken Spunk’s problem onto her own shoulders even though she didn’t know all the information like who was holding the drug runners leash. Ashley had started throwing elaborate parties and steering Spunk towards those who would be buying drugs no matter what and warning him away from those who wanted no part of it. Ashley had figured, and it had saved Spunk’s life, that teenagers would buy and try drugs no matter what so they might as well be clean and reputable. None of the three of them could have imagined the genuine drug problem it would lead the town to. 

“And how are you dealing?” Aiden broke Spencer out of her reminiscing. 

She shrugged. “Meh.” The blonde knew she didn’t have to put on airs for Aiden. 

“Is being here tough? I’m sorry she’s not here. Oh god, is sorry the right word? I just…she’s missing you know? And I’m sorry that…you know…” 

“Aiden.” Spencer put him out of his misery. “It’s fine. Really. I’m fine.” 

“Okay. You know if you need me, right?” 

“I know.” Spencer stepped into his space again. Instead of leaning up she just rest her entire body against his and let him support her weight. “Back at you.” 

His arms came around her and, like with Emma, for the moment Spencer felt safe. 

** 

“Swan.” 

Emma spun on her heel and caught sight of Ruby waving her down. Emma glanced around to see if anyone had heard the waitress shout her name. Thankfully the show, the “real” talent show, was just about to begin and most everyone had turned their attention to the stage. “Ruby cut that out.” Emma chided as the brunette neared. 

That made Ruby chuckle. “You kill me, Swan. You coming to town was like the best thing ever.” 

Emma rolled her eyes. “I don’t think every woman in town would agree with that statement.” 

“Yeah speaking of, I talked to Mary-Margaret yesterday, she’s still got a bee in her bonnet.” 

“Or a stick up her ass.” Emma muttered and Ruby laughed again. She tried to lower her voice but a three piece band, a drummer, a guitarist and a singer, made up of high school students had just taken the stage and Ruby had to step even closer and speak practically into her ear. 

“Or that. I think she was just really rooting for David. Although I told her it was way out of line to attack your character.” 

Emma shrugged. “I’m not wholesome, I get it. Whatever.” 

“She’ll come round. So was it her you were hiding from, or someone else in particular?” 

“How about everyone else.” They both fell silent while the guitarist and the drummer on stage traded solos back and forth and the song finally ended to applause. “So you here with Dorothy? How is she?” 

Ruby seemed incapable of keeping a straight face and not smiling at the mention of the other brunette. “She’s good.” The waitress blushed. “We actually said we’d call this our first official date.” 

Emma beamed and slapped her friend in the arm. _Thank god somebody in this town is actually happy._ “Then what the hell are you doing here talking to me?” Emma kept her voice low because a nervous looking student had taken the stage to perform a monologue. “Go get her.” 

“Don’t mind if I do.” Ruby grinned. “Hey, Ems,” 

“Just go.” Emma cut her off. She knew what the waitress was about to say and she didn’t need to hear it again. “Good luck.” 

“Thanks.” Ruby disappeared with a swish of brown and red hair and Emma missed the security her presence had given immediately. _Okay Swan. Time to do this._

** 

Now that the show was actually underway, and moving smoothly, Regina was disturbed to realize she had nothing left to do. The high school students weren’t like the younger grades who needed wrangling and everything she had prepared for was, as she planned, already taken care of. 

Regina loitered near the back of the crowd, who were much more upbeat and lively for these acts, and kept her mask in place as Mayor of these citizens and an officiant of the event. It was this positioning that gave her the correct vantage point to notice somebody else skulking in the back of the crowd and trying to hide. 

Her blonde hair was wavy and Regina suspected she’d been caught out in the rain at some point. As always she sported a leather jacket over a plaid shirt but this time the jacket wasn’t her red one. Regina wondered if the article had become too iconic and the woman had thought she wouldn’t be able to hide as well in it. 

The brunette watched as Emma’s body stiffened slightly; Regina likened her to a bloodhound that had just caught a scent. Emma’s incredible senses had clearly come into play. _She can feel eyes on her. She knows I’m watching her._ Even then, Regina couldn’t bring herself to stop. 

Emma turned in a slow circle and found Regina with unerring accuracy. They were almost fifteen feet apart but staring at each other through the crowd. Emma was the one who broke the stalemate and walked towards her. Regina held her ground and tried to keep her face impassive even though it was getting difficult. The act on stage was two sisters juggling, and not very loud, so Regina was able to hear Emma as soon as she was near her personal space. 

“Madam Mayor.” 

Regina could no longer keep the salacious smirk from her face. “Sheriff Swan.” 

** 

Emma stepped as close as she could to Regina and still be considered polite and professional while in public. “I’m still not sure I like hearing that.” 

“You won the election fair and square, darling. You’re the Sheriff.” 

The blonde pulled a face. “I didn’t even want to run.” 

“Yes you did.” Regina declared deadpanned. “You might not like the way the town fawns over you now but you did want to be Sheriff.” 

Emma grinned at the way Regina wouldn’t let any of her bullshit pass. “Maybe.” 

“Speaking of, did you mail your resignation letter to Amherst?” 

“I did.” Emma nodded. “But I actually called August as well and told him personally. I didn’t want him to be blindsided. I gave him a brief rundown of events and explained that I couldn’t stay on with his company, even part-time, and be the full-time Sheriff here.” 

“And how did he take it?” The juggling girls had been replaced by a boy who was break dancing to hip-hop music and Regina stepped a little closer so she could be heard. Emma caught a whiff of her perfume and made a mental note that she had to keep her hands to herself. 

Emma considered the question Regina had posed once she had gathered herself from the woman’s presence. _Hmm. How did he take it.._ “He was…understanding. Very polite. But…I don’t know. Something felt odd.” 

“Oh?” Regina arched an eyebrow. 

“Yeah. He didn’t try to talk me out of it or anything, but he was just kind of insistent about staying in touch. And we were never that friendly.” Emma tried to put a gut feeling into words. “He just seemed a little squirrely about it, or something. He just made a point of saying that we’d need to keep in touch but when I pressed him a little he brushed it off. I can’t explain it.” Emma threw her hands up. “Something about it just pinged my radar.” 

“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned my darling, it’s to trust your instincts. If you say he had another motive, than he does.” 

Regina’s absolute faith and trust made Emma feel warm inside, like it always did, and she just had to act. She glanced around surreptitiously, seeing if everyone was still watching the stage, and noticed that a group of cheerleaders held everyone’s attention. She leaned in and kissed Regina softly on the lips. When she leaned back Regina stole another quick peck and Emma wondered if anyone had ever seen Regina look so beautiful; blushing slightly and expression open and unguarded. _Don’t ever let this one go, Swan. Never, ever._

** 

“You’ve done a wonderful job tonight, also, if I forgot to tell you.” Emma grinned what Regina considered her childish smile. 

“Thank you, dear.” Regina didn’t doubt for a second that Emma appreciated, and noticed, everything that she did. “Kathryn and I put everything into this.” 

“Well it’s a fabulous turnout. And the acts are actually pretty good.” Emma seemed impressed by the cheerleaders. 

“Yes, some of the students have amazing talents. Your sister decided against doing a martial arts routine?” Regina asked casually. 

“Yeah, she debated but eventually decided that martial arts wasn’t for show. I said I supported her either way.” 

“As you should.” Regina said instantly. She caught Emma eyeing her with affection. “What?” 

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” 

“Do what?” Regina genuinely didn’t know what Emma was referring to. 

The blonde sidled a little closer. “You don’t have to refer to Spence as “my sister” every single time you talk about her to me.” 

Regina almost let her jaw drop. She hadn’t been consciously doing it every single time and she hadn’t known that Emma had noticed. _I should know better than to ever underestimate her._ “I…” Regina didn’t know whether to apologize or explain. “I’m sorry. I just…I don’t want you to ever wonder what I’m thinking or how I feel about it. I guess I thought about it so much I started doing it even without conscious thought.” 

Emma’s eyes were filled with warmth. “I don’t question you, Regina. I know you might not know the reasons yet, or understand,” 

“I trust you.” Regina interrupted emphatically. “I might not know the reasons yet but I trust that they’re good ones. And I know that it’s yours and Spencer’s business what you choose to call yourselves. I’m sorry for ever making you doubt that.” Regina still looked back on her outburst as a dramatic low point. Her feelings about children were not to be put on Emma’s shoulders. 

“And I’m sorry for running.” Emma cocked a grin. “I thought we had agreed to stop apologizing to each other.” 

“I think you’re right, Sheriff.” Regina edged even closer, almost but not quite pressing her chest against Emma’s. “I think we have so many better things to talk about.” 

“And what would that be Mayor Mills?” Emma teased. 

“How about the fact that I believe it’s your night,” Regina lowered her voice and reached out to thumb the badge resting on Emma’s belt, “to ask for anything,” Regina dropped her voice to sultry register that she knew made Emma weak, “that you want. So,” she drew the word out and saw Emma swallow, “what is it you want, Sheriff? Hmm? What do you want me to do to you?” Regina subtly scratched her fingernails against Emma’s skin right above the waist of her jeans. “What do you want to do to me?” 

“Regina.” Emma’s voice was a little hoarse. 

“I’ll do anything that you want darling. Do you want me to ri-” 

“Sheriff Swan!” 

Regina smoothly stepped back like she had been whispering in Emma’s ear to hear over the music. The Mayor smirked but was inwardly impressed at how quickly Emma composed herself. 

“Jake, how are you doing this evening?” Emma automatically offered a hand and the friendly miner shook it happily. 

“Good. Enjoying the show, Sheriff?” 

“Wouldn’t have missed it.” Emma smiled. 

“You take it easy tonight, Sheriff.” He pointed playfully at her. “You’ve earned it.” He laughed at his own joke and Regina laughed at the pained expression on her lovers face. 

“They adore you.” 

“I know. It’s weird.” Emma grumped and Regina smiled. 

“Darling, you basically singlehandedly cleaned up this town and made it safer. You found the arsonist and got him help, you found and took down a dangerous predator who had been plaguing the town and our schools, you unveiled corruption in the police department and saved a kid who almost had his life ruined by the criminals in this town. You were elected Sheriff by a landslide, they feel safe with you.” Regina didn’t even try to keep the pride from her voice. “They think, and I agree, that you’ll make an incredible Sheriff.” 

“Sure.” Emma brushed the praise off. “Not everyone thinks so. I’m still new to town and I don’t really fit in.” 

Regina scowled and her eyes flashed dangerously. “That sounded a lot like Mary-Margaret Blanchard’s words coming out of your mouth and I have to tell you the effect was disturbing. She can take her wholesome holier than though attitude and shove it up her a-” 

“Regina.” Emma laughed and it brightened her countenance. “You’re the Mayor, you can’t say things like that. At least not in public.” 

“You going to stop me, Sheriff?” Regina winked. “You won the election, you’re the Sheriff, and you’ve already proven the lengths you’ll go to for the town. With all of that comes the adoring fans that you’ll just have to learn to accept.” 

“Spencer says much the same thing. We’ve argued a few times about it. She thinks I’m being ridiculous hiding from everybody.” 

“Smart girl, your sister.” Regina caught the words a hair too late and met Emma’s look sheepishly. “Sorry. But Spencer actually is right. Ignore the few people like Ms. Blanchard and stop hiding from the rest of them.” 

“That sound like fabulous advice.” Regina grinned at Kathryn who chimed in behind Emma and made the Sheriff sputter. “You wouldn’t avoid us, now would you Sheriff?” Kathryn teased and Emma shifted awkwardly. Emma had admitted to Regina, late one night lying in bed with her cheek pressed low against Regina’s stomach, that she didn’t know how to act around Kathryn. That for all the terrible things he had done to deserve it, Emma was the still the person that had gone to the Knight’s home, chased down Frederick and arrested him. That she didn’t know what Kathryn saw when she looked at her or what she wanted. Regina had the benefit of hearing both sides of the story. Kathryn had, after several bottles of wine, spilled some of her feelings about the entire thing to Regina and at no point during any of the story had Kathryn blamed Emma. She actually held nothing but respect for the blonde Sheriff. In her mind, if it wasn’t for Emma she would still be married to a man she didn’t really know who was abusing the most important thing in Kathryn’s life; her students. 

“Of course not, Ms. Midas.” Emma replied seriously and Regina wanted to coo at her. 

“Swan.” Cruella spoke up from her usual place at Kathryn’s side. “These two are going to have a girlish wine drinking night. We on for terrible beer and darts at the Rabbit Hole?” 

“You know it de Vil.” Emma smirked. Regina noticed that Emma was much more comfortable with the brash Cruella. _Did Cruella notice that and speak up because of it? Definitely need to have a talk with Kathryn about that woman._

The four adults fell silent when the music turned up significantly and Miss Duarte’s dance team sauntered on stage. Regina tried to contain her sigh. _There’s still someone missing._

** 

Even Spencer had to admit herself impressed with Madison’s team and their dance routine. It had been a high energy two minutes and Spencer watched as those around her got a little more pumped and amped up. The choreography had been incredible and Spencer knew that Madison had real talent. The only real drawback to the performance was that it was clear none of the dancers were quite up to Madison’s level and Spencer had found her eye solely following the Latina and missing some of the dancing done as a group. 

Madison had clearly loved the spotlight and was still bowing, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd even as the music was gone. 

Spencer missed the first sign. 

She supposed the people towards the back might have heard the doors bang open but it was actually the whispering, increasing in volume and intensity, that made her look around. 

_“-here!”_

_“Oh my god, look!”_

_“Holy shit, it’s her.”_

_“She’s actually here!”_

_“She showed up!”_

_“It’s Ashley!”_

_“Did you know she was coming?”_

_“Last I heard she wasn’t going to be able to make it!”_

_“It’s Ashley!”_

Spencer’s breath caught in her throat and she found herself completely unable to breathe. There she was in all her glory. She looked like a rock star and she strut through the crowd that parted for her. Her lips were quirked up in a smirk that said she knew every single eye was on her and she had planned it that way. She headed for the backstage like she didn’t already know that the stage belonged to her. 

Spencer wasn’t sure she could handle watching her actually perform. 

** 

“She sure knows how to make an entrance.” Emma chuckled as the entire crowd watched Ashley disappear behind the curtain without a glance back at the town’s population. “She just walked in here like a younger Queen.” 

Regina had been watching Ashley with amusement, and a touch of pride, and turned to arch an eyebrow at Emma. “And what does that make me, dear? The older Queen?” 

“The beautiful Queen.” Emma replied without missing a beat. She leaned closer and stole a quick kiss to Regina’s cheek that almost made the brunette blush. 

“Ashley’s done very well for herself.” Kathryn commented after she got over cooing at the couple in front of her. “All of her teachers have noticed such an amazing turnaround and commitment. Isn’t that right, Cruella?” 

De Vil nodded her assent. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much honestly, but she impressed me. Was it your idea to use dance as her final chapter submission for the extra credit assignment, Regina?” 

Regina nodded demurely. “I didn’t give her the idea, it merely came up in conversation.” 

“You should have seen them practicing and dancing around the living room.” Emma teased. “So adorable.” Regina shot her a look that would make most of the townspeople quake but Emma just smiled adoringly at her. 

“I thought she would flounder.” Cruella shrugged. “In fact, I almost thought she’d refuse to do the project when I didn’t allow her music. But she drew from those around her and surpassed my expectations.” Cruella flashed a rare smile. “I have no problem passing her this year.” 

Emma felt a rush of pride for Ashley and knew that Regina must nearly be overwhelmed with it. “All the kids have been making amazing progress. Oh speaking of,” Emma grinned at Regina, “I got a call from Spunk today.” 

“Oh?” Regina’s focus was intense and Emma knew she genuinely cared. “How is Calvin?” 

“He’s doing good apparently. Cortagen has been really good for him. We knew he took basically an entire pharmacy just to cope with the stress he was under and the people at Cortagen have really been helping him deal and to sober up.” 

“That’s good. I’m glad he’s working hard and making progress.” 

“He asked me to thank you again.” Emma smiled when Regina outright blushed. 

“I didn’t do anything.” 

Even Kathryn scoffed. “No.” Emma drew the word out. “You cleared up the admittance issues and paid for Spunk to go there. Nothing at all.” 

Regina straightened her spine. “It was my town that almost destroyed that boy. He faced real harm and prejudice and the corruption of this town would have sent him to jail had it not been for you.” 

“Oh he thanked me too.” Emma shrugged. “But you can probably expect a gift basket or a handmade card or something.” 

“That isn’t-” 

“Gina.” Emma softened her voice. “Mayor Mills might have felt bad about what Spunketti went through in this town, and Mayor Mills might even have used her influence and connections to get the judge to agree to rehab instead of jail. But Mayor Mills didn’t pay for it. Regina did.” Emma, forgetting briefly that they were to remain professional in public, stepped forward and took both of Regina’s hands. “I know it’s hard for you, but accept that you did a nice, wonderful thing and that people are going to thank you for it.” 

Regina’s eyes welled with tears before she smiled. “Like you need to accept that the town is going to thank you and treat you well for everything you’ve done?” 

Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” The blonde heard quick running footsteps and because she knew exactly what it meant she didn’t turn around but crouched down slightly. A weight thudded onto her back and she stood straight almost perfectly in tune with Regina’s affronted “Henry!” 

The boy giggled on her back and Emma spun on her heel in a quick circle before she gently put him down. 

“You’d think I raised you in a barn. Emma is not a jungle gym.” Regina chided lightly. 

“Yes, mom.” Henry and Emma said in unison and then they high fived. 

Regina barely contained her eye roll but she couldn’t hide her smile at their cuteness. “Have you been having fun with your friends? Did you come to watch Ashley with us?” 

“Yeah! And yeah. I can’t wait to hear what she sings.” 

_Join the club, kid._

** 

Ashley knew the exact aura and energy she exuded. She knew what her walk and her smirk said. She knew the vibe her outfit gave off. She knew exactly how she was being perceived. A confident, casual, “gives no shit” and “takes no names” attitude with a sexual and unattainable air. 

She had worked for hours to perfect the image. 

Her outfit had been chosen almost two days in advance. She wore skin tight black pants that had a fake snakeskin pattern in them and they were tucked into blood red boots with a stiletto heel. Her white blouse was almost baggy; and completely undone. It was borderline indecent for a public school event as the two sides of the blouse weren’t buttoned at all though she had tucked the shirt into her pants leaving her entire torso and between her breasts exposed; it also made it clear for anyone who wanted to look that she wasn’t wearing a bra. A black onyx gem glinted in her bellybutton and a clunky chain that didn’t even look like real jewelry hung around her neck. A black leather jacket, one that was actually Emma’s, completed her outfit and gave her even more of an edge. Her hair was tousled, curly and looked like she’d just woken up and the only makeup she wore was some heavy eyeliner and red lipstick. 

She noticed the people, the entire gymnasium, watching her as she strut across the floor and to the backstage. She had to force herself not to look around. Looking around and catching their eye would be harder and it would also break the spell that she’d so painstakingly created. Her entrance had been planned to a tee. She’d actually been to the event mostly on time and had waited out in the parking lot wasting time on her phone. The less time she had to interact with anyone the better. She had carefully touched up her hair, perfecting that “just woken up” look and re-did her makeup to make it look like she’d barely bothered. 

All of this effort just to get to where she belonged and do what she was born to do. 

Sing on stage. 

** 

Spencer hurriedly made her way over to where she’d spotted Regina and Emma standing because she knew she’d need them at her back to make it through this. Regina pulled her into a hug and continued to hold around her shoulders as the crowd fell silent. A silent crowd could mean only one thing. 

She lifted her eyes to see Ashley take the stage. The silence lasted for only a second as people already cheered for her. An upright piano was revealed as the curtain pulled back further and the music teacher, Ms. Bell, was standing just off to the side. 

Ashley needed no introduction, and nor did she give one, as she walked over to the piano. Spencer only realized she was shaking when Regina rubbed her arm comfortingly. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll see.” 

“I’m fine.” Spencer lied. “I only have to stand here and watch.” _Yeah, isn’t that the point? I just have to stand here and watch her._

Ashley played an amazingly quick scale on the piano and Spencer wasn’t sure if it was to warm up her hands or to test the tune on the piano. She sat down and immediately started to play; she seemed sure that the crowd would instantly silence for her. 

They did. 

Ashley managed to convey so much while she sang. The opening notes to the song that melded into a melody held pain but were played with hope. As always when she started to sing, even now, Spencer felt her world stop. 

_“Once I was seven years old my momma told me_  
_Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely_  
_Once I was seven years old”_

No one had ever heard this song of hers before and Spencer heard Regina’s breath hitch at the lyrics. Ashley continued to play on the piano and now the notes rang with a little bit of playfulness. 

_“It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger_  
_Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker_  
_By eleven tried smokes and drinking burning liquor_  
_Already rich ‘n so the masses are all yelling pick her”_

Ashley played a complicated bridge and then stood from the piano bench as Ms. Bell seamlessly took over the playing and sat down. All eyes were on Ashley as she completely dominated the stage as she sang out with even greater intensity. 

_“Once I was eleven years old my father told me_  
_Go make yourself a life or you'll be lonely_  
_Once I was eleven years old”_

The crowd could hear the pain that Ashley sang with so easily but three women in particular knew what singing about him meant to the brunette on stage. 

_“I always had that dream like my father before me_  
_So I started writing songs, I started writing stories_  
_Something about his glory just always seemed to bore me_  
_'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me”_

Her voice was enchanting and captivating as she moved the entire crowd. Her presence, already commanding, completely took over the stage and the crowd was transported along with her. 

_“Once I am twenty years old, my story’ll get told_  
_The pieces of my life will come together_  
_Once I am twenty years old”_

Every person in the crowd felt like Ashley was singing directly to them, bringing them into her life and her story, but Ashley turned and found Spencer in the crowd with unfailing accuracy and the blonde knew, in the depth of her being, that now Ashley _was_ singing directly to her. Brown eyes locked onto blue and Spencer felt the intensity burn onto her soul. 

_“I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure_  
_'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major_  
_I got my girl with me, from now until forever_  
_She saved my life and keeps me sane, can’t wait to see her later”_

Spencer smiled and shook her head and she knew the wink the brunette gave, that caused several other girls to swoon, was meant for her. Only for her; always. 

_“Until I’m twenty years old, and my story gets told_  
_I will write ‘bout everything, I see before me_  
_Until I am twenty years old”_

The blonde was unable to take her eyes off her girlfriend though she knew that Emma and Regina beside her were watching with just as much pride. Ashley had come so far and overcome so much and Spencer knew she would be doing this exact same thing, listening to her girl sing for a crowd, for many, many years to come. 

_“Soon we'll be thirty years old, our songs have been sold_  
_We've traveled around the world and we're still thriving_  
_Soon we'll be thirty years old”_

Spencer chuckled as Ashley’s words, her inner thoughts and feelings, matched her own and Regina squeezed her gently. She knew the older brunette understood. Spencer had shared every hope, fear, desire and goal with Regina during countless hours of cooking lessons. Regina knew, just as well as Ashley did, how the blonde felt about the singer. 

_“I'm still learning about life_  
_My woman still saves me daily_  
_So I can sing all of my songs_  
_And I can tell my stories”_

The blonde tried to sniff back the tears in her eyes. _Oh Ashley, you beautiful sap. You save me every day too._

_“Most of my family’s with me_  
_Some are still out seeking glory_  
_Took me a while to let some in_  
_My brother I'm still sorry”_

Henry’s gasp and excited “that’s me!” was heard only by his family and Spencer took her eyes off Ashley just long enough to see Regina reach out to him, still tucked under Emma’s arm, and stroke his hair. 

_“Soon I'll be sixty years old, hope I’ve lived a good one_  
_Loved and surrounded by the family that I’ve chosen_  
_They’re my brother ‘n my girl, my momma and my saviour_  
_Not the mom ‘n dad I speak to once or twice a year”_

Ashley’s voice was simply breathtaking, flowing seamlessly from loving and devoted to completely venomous on the last line. Ashley gave herself one beat to breath, and Ms. Bell to play the bridge melody once again, and then her voice completely soared. 

_“Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold_  
_Or will I have all of my family who can warm me_  
_Soon I'll be sixty years old_

_Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold_  
_Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me_  
_Soon I'll be sixty years old”_

Now Spencer’s gasp was the one heard by the family and she thought she detected Emma’s voice muttering and Regina shushing her with an affectionate shoulder slap. The piano playing trailed away until it was only a few notes, and then nothing, and Ashley’s voice resonated alone. 

_“Once I was seven years old, momma told me_  
_Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely_  
_Once I was seven years old_  
_Once I was seven years old”_

The silence when her voice tailed off lasted for only a moment and then every single audience member exploded. 

** 

Emma was practically bounced and jostled as the excited boy under her arm cheered and hooted and hollered. Emma looked over him to meet Regina’s eye. “You’re going to be hearing that song on the radio in the not too distant future.” 

Regina had tear tracks down her cheeks and she was nodding absently. Henry seemed to realize his mom needed a hug and he jumped forward to wrap his arms around her waist. Emma, knowing Regina was in very capable hands, turned to Spencer. The younger blonde’s eyes were still riveted to the stage where Ashley was casually taking her standing ovation with nonchalance. 

“You see? We told you nothing to be worried about.” Emma smiled when Spencer rolled her eyes; somehow the gesture now reminded her of Regina. 

“Yeah, yeah. You were right. I knew she’d be sensational, of course. But I’m allowed to worry. That’s my job.” 

“Yes it is.” Emma agreed. She fell silent as Ashley brought the mic back up and hushed the crowd so she could talk. 

“How is everybody doing tonight?” More cheers and yells graced her words and Emma wanted to laugh. _Goddamnit. Girl’s already a rock star._ “Now I know a lot of you were promised some Mad Hatters classics and that’s the reason you came out.” Ashley took a breath and faced the crowd with a straight spine. _Good girl, just like I taught you._ “But I’m not going to do that. In light of Jefferson Davies recent drug arrest and the trial he’s going to undergo on those charges, I don’t think it would be appropriate to serenade this town with his music when we’re still recovering from our own drug offences. Instead,” Ashley continued to stand tall even though some muttered had broken out from the crowd, “I’m gonna sing some songs from musicians who are proud to now be clean and sober.” Ashley gave a nod and the “rock on” symbol and when the music started, this time blaring from the speakers, she started to sing and people cheered for her once again. 

_“Crazy! But that’s how it goes…”_

** 

“Did you know she was going to do that?” 

Regina glanced over at Emma before her eyes returned automatically to Ashley on stage. “No, I didn’t. But I’m very proud of her for doing that.” 

“You should be. Good kid right there.” Emma smirked. 

Regina tightened her arms, one around Henry and the other which was still wrapped around Spencer’s shoulder. The younger blonde couldn’t take her eyes off of Ashley either. “Good kids all around.” Regina smiled. 

“And there you go Spencer. Now you can stop getting angry whenever you see the posters promoting Jefferson's music and exploiting Ash into singing them. It makes sense that she’d do that.” Emma had to slide a little closer and raise her voice now that Ashley had begun another classic rock song. “I know the news about her father was jarring, and Zelena’s incessant phone calls didn’t help. Have you heard from her lately by the way?” 

Regina could hear the concern in Emma’s voice and she smiled to try and comfort the blonde while she didn’t have a free hand. “No, I haven’t. And as I was mentioning to Kathryn earlier, I really don’t think I ever will again after the last conversation we had. She truly believed that I was the one who called the cops on Jefferson. As if the entire United States didn’t know they were drug addicts.” 

“Will you let me know if she calls again? If there’s something I can do?” 

The brunette could hear what Emma wasn’t saying. Emma was a fixer. She wanted to fix the situation but she didn’t want to step on Regina’s independence. Instead, she asked and made sure that Regina always knew she was there; that she wasn’t running. “I’ll let you know, Sheriff.” 

“You guys are missing it!” Henry shushed them and Emma and Regina shared a look, and a smile, before falling silent to watch the rock star gracing their stage. 

** 

Ashley’s second standing ovation lasted twice as long as the first. Spencer watched on as an entire gymnasium full of people fawned over her girlfriend. She could do nothing but smile and look on adoringly as Ashley took her minutes in the spotlight. 

“She was amazing, wasn’t she?” Spencer knew her voice was breathy but she didn’t have it in herself to mind. She didn’t even take her eyes off her girlfriend to ask the question. 

“She was!” Henry babbled excitedly and Spencer caught Regina critiquing some of the less child friendly lyrics that had been sung. 

“It was for a good cause.” Emma laughed as she mollified her. “You know half these miners wouldn’t have shown up without her singing those.” 

“I know.” Regina sighed. “And she was amazing at it, as always. There was no break in her voice at all.” 

Spencer thanked God about that; she had been nearly terrified for her girlfriend. She watched Ashley take a final cocky bow on stage. The blonde always felt like Ashley was singing to her; _for_ her. And now, as brown eyes found her location in the dim, packed gymnasium with laser focus, Spencer knew without a doubt that Ashley really had been singing just for her. 

** 

On Ashley’s trip to the stage she had worked hard to keep her image. She had to work not to drop her rockstar persona and try even harder not to notice the crowd of people talking about and staring at her. 

Now, the crowds really were gone. She could see nothing except Spencer. She had found Spencer in the crowd in a heartbeat, less than, and once she knew the blonde was watching she cared about nothing else. Not the performance, not the crowd; just Spencer. Just Spencer and her family and she hoped for nothing more than to make them proud and bring them joy. 

The screaming fans were a bonus. 

She hopped off the stage without another thought and walked directly for Spencer. She ignored all the calls of her name and the pats on her back. She had much more important things on her mind; like a gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, adorable girl that she was lucky, _stupidly lucky_ , enough to call her own. 

Spencer’s arms raised automatically and Ashley stepped into her embrace, wound one hand into her hair and kissed her just shy of too passionately in public. Spencer’s tongue just teased her lips and only the throat clear right beside them caused Ashley to pull apart with a smirk. 

“Yuck.” Henry’s face was scrunched up and adorable. The adults couldn’t help but chuckle a little. 

“Gee, thanks bro.” Ashley smiled. “Did you enjoy the show?” 

Henry’s enthusiasm was back in a second. “Yeah! You were so awesome!” He held out his fist, Ashley had upgraded him from high-fives a month ago, and the brunette bumped her fist against his. 

“Thanks.” Ashley smirked at her family. “I was awesome, wasn’t I?” 

Three sets of eyes rolled in unison. 

“Yes, dear,” Regina was the one to placate her, “you were fabulous.” The elder brunette reached for Ashley’s hand and held it tightly for one second. “I’m so proud.” Ashley noticed Regina’s eyes welling with tears and instantly her own were as well. 

“Thanks. That means a lot.” 

Regina nodded. “You should be proud of yourself too, you know.” 

Ashley now had to blink away the tears from dropping and she squeezed Spencer’s hand. 

“Regina, don’t you have to go make a speech?” Spencer’s voice was innocent and Regina glanced around. 

“In fact I do. I’ll find you all after?” They all nodded and Regina ran her hand gently down Emma’s arm as she walked away. 

“Waddya say, kid?” Emma gently punched Henry on the arm. “Should we go find ourselves a treat while your mom is busy?” 

“Yeah!” 

Ashley didn’t miss the wink that Emma sent her as she led Henry away. _What would I do without that woman?_ Spencer stepped closer so that their fronts were pressing together lightly. _Or this one._

“You look relieved.” Ashley teased her. 

“Sue me, I was worried.” Spencer shot back. 

“Awh, babe. I told you that there was nothing to worry about.” 

Spencer’s look was deadpanned. “Ash you _just_ got over having laryngitis. And I mean like yesterday. You haven’t spoken in days. Not a single person in town thought you were going to make it.” 

“I know.” Ashley pouted her bottom lip out. “It’s been torture. I felt like I was in prison.” 

The blonde’s eyes rolled again. “Oh yes. Prison at the actual mansion you live in with every modern amenity known to mankind. Sounds terrible.” 

“But I couldn’t _sing_.” Ashley’s voice was vehement. “And,” she continued when Spencer was about to tease her again, “I couldn’t talk to you.” Instead of getting made fun of Ashley was swiftly kissed and she smiled against Spencer’s lips. 

“Forgive me for being worried, okay?” Spencer ran her nose gently along the length of Ashley’s jaw; the brunette suddenly found it a little hard to concentrate. “I knew how much this meant to you.” 

Ashley shrugged. “I told you it’d be fine. I could hear it perfectly in my head, I knew exactly how it would sound.” 

“Forgive me.” Spencer chuckled again. “I forgot that you’re a musical prodigy. The rest of us mere mortals would be terrified at the thought of singing a song on stage in front of hundreds of people that we had never sang one note of before.” 

Ashley smirked. “Probably. But I’m me.” 

“Yes you are.” Spencer’s blue eyes softened and Ashley never wanted to look away. “Baby that song, was…God I don’t even have the words. So perfect. I loved it. Every second of it. I wish I could tell you better,” 

“You don’t need to.” Ashley grinned. “I was watching your face when I sang it, and I can see your eyes now. That’s more than I ever thought I would get or need.” 

“You sap.” Spencer smiled. 

“I love you.” 

“Even when I’m setting the bleachers on fire?” 

Ashley moved her arms around Spencer’s waist and pulled her even closer so she could gently kiss the tip of Spencer’s nose. “Even then.” 

“I love you too.” 

Now the brunette grinned. “Even when I’m crying into a whiskey bottle?” 

“Even then.” 

Ten minutes later when the judges had decided and announced the winner of the talent show not a single person in the gym was surprised to hear them call the name _“Ashley Davies-Mills”._

Ashley herself didn’t bother go back on stage for the award. She was cuddled into Spencer’s arms and perfectly content where she was. Regina eventually walked onto the stage and accepted it on her daughter’s behalf. 

“You did good, kid.” 

Ashley lifted her head from Spencer’s shoulder to find Emma smiling gently at them both. She watched as green eyes left them only briefly to automatically locate Regina in the crowd, walking towards them and clearly ready to go home. 

“You didn’t do so bad yourself, Swan.” 

_Yeah._ Ashley noticed Regina smile at Emma as she approached and also reach a hand out to gently touch Spencer’s hair when she was close enough, seemingly without thought. Spencer sighed at the comforting gesture. _Home sounds good._

** 

“I’m telling you,” Ruby Lucas leaned against the counter and she spoke animatedly to the other brunette, who was perched on a stool across from her, even though she was getting laughed at, “it’s a great story. You should write it.” 

“Not really my cup of tea.” Dorothy Gale rest her elbows on the counter and leaned a little closer. She loved when Ruby got animated though she tried not to show exactly just how much. 

“But it could be!” Ruby was practically vibrating with excitement. “Think about it. The story of how two lost blondes come to small town Maine and find their other halves in two lonely brunettes? That’s like story gold!” 

“I’m sure it is. I’m not a romance author though.” 

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Did you see them tonight? God anyone could be a romance writer when faced with those four. The lingering looks and the smiles and the love just pouring out of them.” 

“I didn’t notice.” Dorothy said bluntly. “I was too busy looking at you.” 

The waitress’s jaw snapped shut and a magnificent blush spread across her cheeks. Sometimes Dorothy just floored her. She tried to pull herself together even though the smirk on Dorothy’s face said clearly that the author had won that round. “I still think you should write the story. There’s something there, even more that we don’t know. Don’t you think?” 

Dorothy did think. If her chats with Spencer had taught her nothing else it was that the Swans were perfectly controlled and never said a word they didn’t mean. She wondered at the past that level of control had stemmed from. 

Ruby watched Dorothy sort through her thoughts and a grin spread across her features for no reason other than watching her. _God, I owe Swan for this._ It had been Emma that made Ruby finally pull her head from her ass and ask Dorothy on a real date. Emma’s blunt words had broken through the fear easier than anything else ever had. _“Look. I get the whole entire town thinks you should be a thing and have influenced you. But tell me, where would you be with Dorothy right now if the entire town had banned and forbade you from seeing her?”_ Ruby’s answer had been quick. _“The town sure as hell wouldn’t have stopped me.”_ Emma’s retort had been even faster. _“Then why are you letting them stop you now?”_ Ruby had asked Dorothy to be her date for the talent show that same night. It had taken weeks to convince Granny that the diner staying open would be pointless because the entire town was going to the show. 

She was only here now making sure the pre-open duties were done and Dorothy, as she had been doing for years, tagged along just to keep her company. 

“You say sometimes you hate your genre.” Ruby pointed out. “Maybe this is your chance to branch out. Write a novel that’s about love and family and drama and everything else.” 

Dorothy graced her with a grin that Ruby swore she was the only person to ever see. “Maybe.” 

Ruby knew that was all she was going to get and she flashed a wide grin. “Good.” She shuffled closer a little nervously and Dorothy’s posture perked up. _Okay, no big deal. Just going to kiss my best friend. No biggie._ Ruby leaned closer and the bell for the front door chimed impossibly loudly and broke the silence. Ruby pulled back with a jump and a growl. “We’re closed.” She snapped. 

“Oh, sorry. Pardon me.” 

Ruby and Dorothy both spun around surprised at a voice they didn’t recognize. _A stranger in Storybrooke?_ “Sorry about that.” Ruby apologized for snapping at the stranger. He was tall and fit, wearing jeans and a leather jacket. 

“I was just looking for a cup of coffee.” The stranger shrugged a little awkwardly. “I didn’t realize you were closed. Sorry again.” 

“Oh, you know what.” Ruby was already reaching for a to-go cup. She felt bad for practically yelling at the polite man. “That I can do easily, and it’s fresh cause we just put it on for ourselves. Dollar fifty.” 

“Here,” he stepped forward and pulled a five dollar bill from his pants pocket, “how about you take this, give me two to-go coffees, and you can keep the change for the trouble.” 

“No trouble.” Ruby’s hands worked effortlessly as she poured two and snapped on lids. 

“Would you mind writing on one of them?” He asked nicely. “One is for a friend.” 

“Sure.” Ruby snagged a black marker and held it up. “What’s the name?” 

“Voldemort.” 

The blacker marker lowered and both brunette’s eyed him curiously. He shrugged again in his awkward manner and then ran his hand over his smoothly shaven scalp. “It’s an inside joke between old friends. Don’t worry,” he smiled again, “they’ll get the joke.” 

** 

**End of Part One.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you all. This has been such a ride and so much fun to write. All the comments and kudos and theories about the story made it so easy to write. Obviously, there is more to come for this story as I make it a series, but I have a few other things on the docket to write first. My Fleurmione story is still ongoing, my next new project will be a Shoot story with Root and Shaw from Person of Interest, and my Pitch Perfect fic is getting a sequel as well. As always, if anybody has a ship they'd like to see me write something for, just let me know :) Thank you all again for being wonderful readers, and I hope you enjoyed the conclusion of this Part One (sorry not quite sorry about the cliffhanger..again) :) -JJ


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